Defense Industry Daily

Americas

Bell Boeing won a $218.7 million contract modification for performance based logistics and engineering support for the V-22 platform. Using customers are Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Foreign Military Sales to Japan. The V-22 Osprey was developed to carry troops, ordnance and supplies into the battlefield as a presumed replacement for the aging AV-8b Harrier. It is the world’s only tilt-rotor aircraft, meaning that it can fly in multiple configurations: with the propellers pointing forward in a traditional aircraft stance, or the rotors can be rotated to take off in the same way as a helicopter. Work will take place in Texas and Pennsylvania. Estimated completion date is November 30, 2020.

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems won a $74.7 million contract or design agent engineering services for networks and network user systems on operational landing platform/dock LPD-17 Class amphibious transport dock ships. LPD-17 or San Antonio Class landing platform dock is the latest class of amphibious force ship for the US Navy. The mission of the San Antonio Class is to transport the US Marine Corps ‘mobility triad’, comprising advanced, amphibious assault vehicles (AAAVs), landing craft air-cushion (LCAC) and the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft around the world. Construction of the first ship of 12, the San Antonio (LPD 17), began in June 2000. The ship’s keel was laid in December 2000. It was launched in July 2003 and commissioned in January 2006. The San Antonio is home-ported at the Norfolk naval base, Virginia. The vessel achieved initial operating capability (IOC) in May 2008 and made its first deployment in August 2008 as part of the Iwo Jima expeditionary strike group. Work under the deal will take place in California, Virginia and Florida. Expected completion is in December 2024.

Middle East & Africa

Jane’s reports that Iraq received its final Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50IQ Fighting Eagle light fighter and trainer aircraft. This delivery of the 24th T-50IQ marks the end of the six-year procurement process that was launched in December 2013. The Iraq Air Force fields the twin-seat T-50IQ primarily as a lead-in fighter trainer for its 36 Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters. The aircraft can be armed with air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, machine guns and precision-guided bombs.

Europe

Britain’s defense ties with the EU after Brexit are still uncertain, writes Martin Bank for Defense News. EU member states have yet to decide on a legal framework for third-party participation. Adm. Rob Bauer, chief of defense in The Netherlands, told Defense News he believes it is imperative that the UK remains very closely involved in such projects. British future involvement in EU-led initiatives such as the European Defence Fund and PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation) remains unclear. Bauer says it would be important for the EU and Britain to work together in the future. In a keynote address, Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, warned that UK involvement in EU defense and security would only become clearer once discussions start on a political agreement between the two sides.

Romania’s Supreme Council for the Country’s Defence approved the purchase of five F-16s. Earlier it was reported that Romania wants to buy another five F-16s from Portugal. The procurement deals in excess of $110.2 million must be endorsed by lawmakers, president Klaus Iohannis explained. The president also informed about the Government’s commitment to stick with the 2 percent-of-GDP budget earmarked for defense spending. The number of military troops approved for missions abroad was also increased by 200 to 2,100, under a CSAT decision. Romania will buy another five F16 jet fighters with the same configuration as the 12 already purchased, former defense minister Gabriel Les announced on July 3.

Asia-Pacific

Footage shows Uzbekistan adopting the Chinese QW-18 MANPADS air defense system, Army Recognition reports. The QW-18 MANPADS has been designed by the China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corporation and is reported to be a modified copy of the Soviet-designed Igla-1 MANPADS. It weighs 18 kg in combat mode and is armed with a short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) capable of engaging aerial targets flying at a speed of up to 300 m/s at an altitude of up to 4,000 m and at a distance of up to 5,000 m. The Uzbek Ministry of Defense does not specify the type of MANPADS being operated by the country’s military. However, according to the open sources, the UA operates some 150 legacy 9K32 Strela-2 (SA-7 Grail) man-portable air defense weapons.

Today’s Video

Watch: Komodo – The 4×4 Tactical Vehicle Developed And Produced by Indonesian Pindad

Americas

United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney won a $522 million contract modification, which provides performance based logistics sustainment in support of the F-35 Lightning II F135 propulsion system for the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. Pratt & Whitney’s F135 propulsion system powers all three variants of the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft – the F-35A CTOL (Conventional Takeoff and Landing), F-35B STOVL (Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing) and F-35C CV (Carrier Variant). It is a two-spool afterburning turbofan engine. The combat-proven F135 delivers more than 40,000lb of thrust and delivers advances in safety, design, performance, and reliability. Work will take place in Connecticut, Oklahoma, Italy, Florida, California, Arizona and South Carolina. Estimated completion is in November 2020.

The US Army contracted Lockheed Martin with a $7.6 million modification for Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight Pilot Night Vision Sensor Systems, subcomponent production and technical services for the Apache Attack Helicopter. The Apache is designed to survive heavy attack. It can zero in on specific targets, day or night, even in terrible weather. The helicopter’s night vision sensors work on the forward-looking infrared (FLIR) system, which detects the infrared light released by heated objects. The FLIR sensor has three fields-of-view, a multi-target tracker, multiple-code laser spot tracking, and internal boresight. Work locations and relevant funding will be determined with each order. Expected completion date is January 1, 2023.

Middle East & Africa

Mobile Land Systems (MLS) applied for intellectual property design protection in Saudi Arabia and its home jurisdiction of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the Falcon V-Hull on its Viper 4×4 mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicle. MLS developed Viper with internal research and development funding to meet potential domestic and export requirements. The low-profile vehicle has a modular interior design and includes the all-welded monocoque steel Falcon V-Hull, which was designed and developed by engineering teams in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The hull can be supplied with ballistic protection from NATO STANAG 4569 Levels 1 to 4, and blast protection to STANAG 4569 Level 3a/2b, depending on customer requirements.

Europe

According to Jane’s MBDA Deutschland is pitching an air-launched version of its Enforcer missile to Germany and beyond. Speaking at the Berlin Security Conference 2019 in the German capital, Head of Sales and Marketing, Guido Brendler, said that Enforcer Air, as the particular variant of the normally shoulder-launched missile is known, is being focused at the German customer in particular, but could also be offered to the wider international market. The Enforcer could be carried by helicopters, tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and medium-latitude long-endurance (MALE) UAVs in particular. While the baseline-Enforcer is shoulder-launched, the Enforcer Air could be drop-launched, tube-launched, or rail-launched depending on the host platform and the customer requirement.

BAE System announced that it received deals to deliver $71 million in aircraft survivability equipment to several US allies via US Army Foreign Military Sales. The Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to purchase the AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System CMWS and associated equipment to protect their aircraft and crews from sophisticated threats. The AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) is a infrared-guided missile warning system available for fixed and rotary wing aircraft. The CMWS is designed for a wide variety of aircraft, and its line-replaceable units and customizable algorithms allow it to adapt to emerging threats. The third-generation system combines hostile fire indication and data recording with its core missile warning capabilities in a single unit – providing protection from more diverse threats and enabling detailed post-mission analysis.

Asia-Pacific

Two former AH-1S from Jordan have arrived in the Philippines on November 26, the country’s national security adviser has confirmed. Hermogenes Esperon says the rotorcraft are being assembled and will be operational by next month. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte confirmed the donation of the helicopters in 2018 in remarks reported by the official Philippine government news wire service. The Philippine Air Force has allotted $900.000 for maintenance and spare parts for the aircraft’s night targeting system. PAF pilots and a team of maintenance crew were also sent to Jordan to train and familiarize themselves with flying and handling the attack helicopters. The AH-1 Cobra is a two-blade, single-engine attack helicopter. The Royal Jordanian Air Force has at least one squadron of Cobras currently in service, and is supposed to have used them in combat in Iraq and Syria.

Today’s Video

Watch: SAAB DAMEN Team for the Dutch Walrus Submarine Replacement Program

Americas

Northrop Grumman Systems won a $958 million firm-fixed-price contract to deliver 30 full-rate production Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar systems for the US Marine Corps. The deal includes spares parts and retrofit kits. The AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR system provides multi-faceted detection and tracking capabilities to support engagement of a wide range of hostile threats, and offers robust air traffic control capabilities to ensure the safety of Marines worldwide. The G/ATOR comes in two distinct software variants: Block I conducts air defense and surveillance missions for aviation command and control squadrons, and Block II targets the source of incoming artillery and other ground-based fires. The radar is able to detect low-observable targets with low radar cross sections such as rockets, artillery, mortars, cruise missiles and drones. Northrop will perform work within the US and is expected to be finished by January 13, 2025.

The US Navy contracted Bath Iron Works with a $61.7 million modification in support of the DDG 51 Class destroyers. The deal is for lead years services, which is a broad category encompassing necessary engineering support and configuration, baseline upgrades and new technology support, data and logistics management, analysis, acceptance trials, post-delivery test and trials and other elements of supporting construction of DDG 51 Class destroyers. DDG 51 Arleigh Burke destroyers are warships that provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities. Destroyers can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups. The ships use the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multifunction radar array. The ships were designed to use Tomahawk and other surface-to-air missiles and engage in antisubmarine warfare. Majority of the work under the contract modification will take place in Maine and is scheduled to be completed by June next year-

Middle East & Africa

Iran unveiled a new defense system called the „Khordad 15th“. The weapons system was displayed in a ceremony attended by Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami in Tehran, during which he said that it could detect targets as far away as 150 kilometers and hit several targets with the indigenous “Sayyad-3” missiles. According to reports, the missile system is a high-precision weapon capable of flying at low altitudes and able to carry a significant payload. Iran has worked in recent years to build its own weapons locally, rather than relying on foreign actors. Iran’s missile program was among the reasons cited by US President Donald Trump for leaving the 2015 nuclear deal last year and reimposing crippling sanctions. Recently Trump said he would be willing to reopen talks as long as Iran agreed to give up nuclear weapons.

Europe

China turns to the Ukraine to upgrade its military, the Washington Post reports. Chinese investors are reportedly asking staff at a Ukrainian aircraft engine factory about record-keeping and planning, the setup of production lines and the interplay between workshops. China is looking to upgrade its military and has found a willing partner in Motor Sich, because it can supply warplane engines as well as the know-how to possibly make a Chinese-built version in the future. Motor Sich has lost its biggest market, specifically supplying engines for military helicopters and other aircraft, after the Eastern Ukrainian War broke out in 2014.

Asia-Pacific

According to local reports, Kazan will be finishing up the upgrades of the Ansat helicopter next year. Ansat is a light twin-engine gas turbine multi-purpose helicopter with 7-9 seats. The fuselage has a pair of doors in pilot’s cab, and a pair of upwards and downwards opening side doors in transport compartment. After the seats have been removed, it can take 1000 kg of cargo inside. On external hook, it can take 1300 kg of load. The Kazan Helicopter Plant is upgrading the Ansat light multipurpose helicopter at the moment. Work is carried out in two stages: the first block of modernization was completed in 2018, the second will be finished next year. The company also continues work on starting a serial production of the modernized Ansat.

After the sudden crash of a Japanese F-35 into the Pacific Ocean in April, reports now saw this was caused by „spatial disorientation“ of its pilot. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force jet disappeared from radar while on a training mission with three other F-35s off northern Japan on April 9. There was no indication from the jet’s pilot, Maj. Akinori Hosomi, of any problems with the aircraft before contact was lost. The Ministry of Defense said Monday that Hosomi, a 41-year-old with 3,200 hours of flight experience, essentially flew the stealth fighter straight into the ocean during the night training mission. About 15 seconds lapsed between the pilot’s last communication and loss of contact with the plane. “We believe it highly likely the pilot was suffering from vertigo or spatial disorientation and wasn’t aware of his condition”, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said in a briefing.

Today’s Video

Watch: The F-35 Could Intercept a N. Korean Missile Launch – but it Could Bring an All-Out Fight

Americas

General Dynamics won a $25.6 million firm-fixed-price contract to produce MK 46 Modification 2 Gun Weapon Systems for use on modern Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ships. MK46 30mm all-weather, day/night, fully stabilized weapon system is a remotely operated system that uses a high-velocity cannon for shipboard self-defense against small, high-speed surface targets. It is the main deck gun for LPD-17 ships and is the secondary gun battery for LCS, and Zumwalt Class ships. The contract is for the procurement of two 30mm MK 46 MOD 2 GWSs for the LCS Surface Warfare Mission module, two 30mm MK 46 MOD 2 GWSs for the LPD-29, two 30mm MK 46 MOD 2 GWSs for the LPD-30, and associated spare parts. General Dynamics will perform work within the US and is expected to be finished by September 2021.

Sikorsky has flown its Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) technology aboard a UH-60A Black Hawk testbed helicopter for the first time. The company said in a press release that the flight took place on May 29 and it marked the official start to the flight test program for the soon-to-be optionally piloted aircraft. “This is the first full authority fly-by-wire retrofit kit developed by Sikorsky that has completely removed mechanical flight controls from the aircraft,” Lockheed Martin said. The OPV trials are part of a wider effort led by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to demonstrate unmanned helicopter operations under its Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System program. Follow-on flight testing aims to include envelope expansion throughout the summer leading to flights without any pilots in 2020.

Middle East & Africa

Five Rafales for the Qatari Amiri Air Force arrived at Dukhan Air Base on June 5. Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani was on hand to welcome the pilots and the jets home. Qatar inked a number of major arms deals after Riyadh and its allies the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain announced a total economic boycott of Doha in June 2017. Qatar ordered 24 of the Rafales from France in 2015, adding 12 more last year. It also has an option to buy 36 more. In February, France formally handed the first of the aircraft over to Qatar in a ceremony in Merignac, southwestern France, where the planes are built. Qatar has separately inked deals with France for 50 Airbus A321 passenger planes as well as a deal with Britain to buy Typhoon fighters.

Europe

Aero Vodochody delivered three new L-159T2 light attack/trainer aircraft to the Czech Republic. The new T2 twin seat aircraft, which made its maiden flight in 2018, has a newly built central and forward fuselage, and is fully NVG compatible. The L-159 aircraft is operated by Czech Air Force, Iraqi Air Force and US company Draken International. According to reports, the cockpit has a multi-function display and upgraded version of the VS-20 ejection seat, while the aircraft offers single-point pressure refueling capability and carries self-protection systems in the form of countermeasures and a radar warning receiver. This makes the trainer perfect to train for the fleet of Gripens that student pilots move onto.

Finnish defense and aerospace group Patria has acquired Belgian aircraft propulsion maintenance operation Belgium Engine Center (BEC) from AIM Norway, said an official press release from Patria. BEC is a military jet engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) center that services the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine which powers F-15 and F-16 aircraft around the globe. The center also provides material management services for those engines. BEC has its operating base in Herstal in Belgium, and has about 90 employees. AIM Norway acquired BEC in 2016. The acquisition comes after Patria acquired Norwegian aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul specialist AIM Norway in partnership with Kongsberg of Norway in December 2018.

Asia-Pacific

The Japanese defense ministry plans to deploy a radar-equipped Aegis Ashore unit in the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Araya training area in Akita, the capital of the prefecture. However, officials found several mistakes in the survey documents that supported the need to deploy missile interceptors in Akita, local news reported Thursday. The defense ministry said on May 27 that 19 other candidate sites were “unfit” for Aegis Ashore deployment, Jiji Press reported. The government survey in question included errors for terrain data on nine other areas that provided comparisons to the designated site. The US State Department approved the Aegis Ashore systems purchase to Japan in January. Total cost of the system is estimated at more than $2 billion.

Today’s Video

Watch: China’s first sea launch: Long March-11 launches from a ship at sea

Americas

The Navy awarded Raytheon a $28 million contract modification for integration and production support for the Air and Missile Defense Radar AN/SPY-6(V). The AN/SPY-6(V) next-generation integrated radar will be featured on the Flight III Arleigh Burke Guided Missiles Destroyers. According to Raytheon, the SPY-6 is built with so called Radar Modular Assemblies, each of them a self-contained radar in a 2’x2’x2’ box. They can stack together to form any size array to fit the mission requirements of any ship, which would make the SPY-6 the Navy’s first truly scalable radar. In January, the radar completed an important milestone when it successfully tracked a ballistic missile target in the system’s final development test. The radar is on schedule for delivery to the Navy in 2020, replacing the SPY-1 radar. The contract includes support for continued combat system integration and testing, engineering, training, software and depot maintenance as well as field engineering services. Raytheon will perform work at various locations within the US. The estimated completion date is in December this year.

Raytheon successfully completed a static test of its new DeepStrike missile rocket motor. The next-generation, long-range, surface-to-surface precision strike missile will replace the Army Tactical Missile System. Raytheon won the $116.4 million contract to build the missile in June 2017 under the technology up-gradation and risk trimming phase of the Long-Range Precision Fires (LRPF) program. The missile will be compatible with two launch systems of the US Army, the M270 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) and the M142 high-mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS). The rocket motor test brought the weapon one step closer to its maiden flight test, scheduled for this year. A previous milestone for the DeepStrike was the successful preliminary design review, in which the Army evaluated every aspect of the new missile’s design, from its advanced propulsion system and innovative lethality package to its guidance system.

Middle East & Africa

Israeli company Rafael dropped out of Switzerland’s $8 billion air defense tender. Rafael had initially offered its David’s Sling system. David’s Sling is an Israeli system developed with the United States that is designed to defend against short-range and theater ballistic missiles, large-caliber rockets, and cruise missiles. However, the Israeli Department of Defense did not give the company the necessary permit to go further in the tender. Reasons for this decision are unclear. Companies still participating in the tender are Raytheon with the Patriot system and Eurosam with the SAMP/T.

Europe

Contributing to NATO’s increased presence in the Baltic states, the UK deployed five Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to the Amari Air Base in Estonia. The AH-64s are expected to participate in upcoming NATO military exercises and provide defense coverage for a military base near the Russian border. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson commented on the deployment: “It’s a very credible threat that we see from Russia and part of the reason that we’re deploying five Apache attack helicopters is making sure that we’re constantly adapting to a changing situation.“ According to the British Army, the Apaches will be working in tandem with the Wildcat battlefield reconnaissance helicopters to provide valuable training opportunities to NATO allies on Estonia’s annual Exercise Spring Storm and to the UK-led battlegroup deployed on NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence.

Asia-Pacific

The US and the Sri Lankan Navy ended the Cooperation Afloat and Readiness Training (CARAT) exercise four days earlier than scheduled due to the recent attacks in the Asian country. “All US personnel involved in CARAT are accounted for and redeployment is in progress,” it says in an updated news release. Several bombers carried out six coordinated attacks at churches and hotels on Sunday, killing at least 290 people. The government declared a state of emergency to take effect at midnight Monday. The declaration allows police and military forces to detain and interrogate potential suspects without a court order. The US-Sri Lanka CARAT exercise was slated to take place for a week and was based off the southern port city of Hambantota. Hambantota was not targeted in Sunday’s attacks, but the suspension of exercises will allow Sri Lanka to reallocate military resources should they become necessary in the aftermath. The CARAT is the US Navy’s oldest and longest continually-running regional exercise in South and Southeast Asia. Participants conduct partnered training focused on building interoperability and strengthening relationships.

According to reports, China’s Gas Turbine Research Institute designed and tested a prototype of a new turbofan engine for fighter aircraft within 18 months. The team of young engine designers will be given an award during China’s Youth Day on May 4. It took the development team only a year to design the engine, and just six months to finish testing the first prototype. No details of the engine, including its designation, have been revealed, but official statements claimed that the new engine would “rival advanced foreign fighter jets and represents China’s highest technical level in aero engines”. Until now, long-standing difficulties that have hampered China’s production of military aircraft engines forced it to import Russian-made engines for several of its major aircraft projects.

Today’s Video

Watch: New Advanced Version of its F 15 Eagle for the US Air Force, Next Super Fighter Electronic Warfare

Americas

Boeing won a $605 million modification for the production of the Air Force’s 11th Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) Communication Space Vehicle. The DoD uses the WGS system to communicate with warfighters across the globe. Ten Ka-band and 8 X-band beam can be positioned anywhere in the field of view of each satellite. WGS combines unique commercial spacecraft capabilities that Boeing has developed, including phased array antennas and digital signal processing technology, into a powerful, flexible architecture. United Launch Alliance ULA is scheduled to launch the 11th satellite aboard a Delta IV rocket in November 2023. Since 2001, Boeing has been the prime contractor of the WGS, which was first launched in 2008. GS 4, which was launched off in 2012, was the first Block II series. WGS-10 was meant to be the last of the constellation. But in March 2018, Congress added $600 million for the procurement of WGS-11 and WGS-12. Boeing will perform work under the modification in El Segundo, California and expects completion by November 20, 2023.

The US Army contracted General Atomics with $99 million in support of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAS. The deal provides performance based logistics support services for the Unmanned Aircraft System. The Gray Eagle UAS addresses the need for a long-endurance, armed, unmanned aircraft system that offers greater range, altitude and payload flexibility over earlier systems. US Army Special Operations Forces and Intelligence and Security Command have two Gray Eagle Extended Range (ER) systems, which include 12 unmanned aircraft, six Universal Ground Control Stations, nine Ground Data Terminals, three Mobile Ground Control Stations, one Satellite Ground Data Terminal, an automated takeoff and landing system, LMTVs, and other ground-support equipment operated and maintained by a company of 165 Soldiers. Work will take place in Poway, California and is scheduled to be completed on April 23, 2024.

Middle East & Africa

According to defensenews.com, Turkey’s homemade drones have the potential to boost local industry by raising export numbers. The combat proven Turkish drones don’t need foreign export licenses unlike other military platforms such as helicopters and tanks. The Turkish military has used unmanned systems in its fight against Kurdish militants in the country’s southeast and in counterinsurgency operations in neighboring Syria and Iraq. Currently the Turkish military operates 75 TB2 drones. The Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude, long-range, tactical UAV system. It was developed by Kale-Baykar, a joint venture of Baykar Makina and the Kale Group. The UAV operates as a platform for conducting reconnaissance and intelligence missions. In January, Baykar Makina, a privately owned Turkish drone maker, won a contract to sell a batch of 12 of its Bayraktar TB2 UAVs to the Ukraine. Back in November, two Turkish companies – Tusas Engine Industries and Turkish Aerospace Industries – announced they had made significant progress toward building indigenous engines that would power locally made drones and armored vehicles. This would further independency from foreign engine suppliers. In February, it was reported that Tusas Engine Industries produced the first national UAV engine PD-170.

Europe

General Dynamics won a $269.3 million contract modification from the US Navy in support of the UK Dreadnought fleet and the US Navy’s Columbia Class fleet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN). The modification includes the manufacturing of 42 missile tubes as well as missile tube outfitting material. The Dreadnought Class submarines, the future replacement for the Vanguard Class, will like their predecessors carry the Trident II D-5 missiles. The upcoming Columbia Class of nuclear submarines will replace the UGM-133 Trident II-armed Ohio Class. Work will take place in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania and is expected to be finished by May 2028.

Asia-Pacific

According to local reports, India’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) has launched the country’s third Project 15B guided-missile destroyer. Imphal, the third ship under Project 15B was launched on 20 April at MDL’s facilities in Mumbai. The Project 15B warships are also referred to as the Visakhapatnam Class. 15 ships are to be build under this class. The first Project 15B ship, Visakhapatnam, was launched in April 2015, while the second ship of the type, Mormugao , took to the water in September 2016. The warships are propelled by four gas turbines to achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots. They are 163 meters long and have a displacement of 7.300 tonnes.

Local media reported that Elbit Systems has won a tender to deliver its ATHOS (Autonomous Towed Howitzer Ordnance System) 2052 to the Indian Army, in a deal estimated at over $1 Billion. The bid by Israeli defense manufacturer Elbit Systems and its Indian partner Bharat Forge has emerged as the winner in the Indian Army’s 155 mm, 52 calibre towed artillery gun competition. The price point at which the Elbit-Bharat Forge gun is being offered is even lower than the indigenously developed Dhanush 155 mm, 42 calibre gun, which is being manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board. According to Elbit Systems, ATHOS is capable of a range of more than 40km and utilizes a self-propelling capability and automatic laying mode. It is integrated with fully-computerized systems, achieving automatic control, accurate navigation, and target acquisition. The company has yet to command on the outcome of the Indian Tender.

Today’s Video

Watch: U S Navy Has a Serious Problem Now Too Few Ships

Successor Class
(click to view full)

“We are committed to working towards a safer world in which there is no requirement for nuclear weapons… However, the continuing risk from the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the certainty that a number of other countries will retain substantial nuclear arsenals, mean that our minimum nuclear deterrent capability, currently represented by Trident, is likely to remain a necessary element of our security.”     — UK SDSR, 1998

Britain has a big decision to make: do they remain a nuclear weapons power, or not? In an age of collapsing public finances and an uncertain long-term economic future, the money needed to design new nuclear missile submarines is a huge cost commitment that could crowd out other needs. Then again, in an age of collapsing non-proliferation frameworks, clear hostility from ideologies that want nuclear weapons, and allies who are less capable and dependable, the downside of renouncing nuclear weapons is a huge risk commitment. Pick one, or the other. There is no free lunch.

This article covers that momentous decision for Britain, and the contracts and debates associated with it.

Contracts & Key Events

HMS Vanguard
(click to view full)

Britain’s government took the first big steps in 2006-2007, a joint US-UK “Common Missile Compatment” (CMC) project was launched in 2008, and initial gate approval for Britain’s “Successor” project followed in 2011. Other contracts have followed, covering design, infrastructure, and even the new kind of nuclear reactor the submarines are expected to use. What hasn’t quite followed yet, is full approval to launch the build program.

Note that the CMC sub-program, which is financed by the USA and UK, is covered in its own article.

FY 2015 – 2019

 

RUSI

April 23/19: Missile Tubes General Dynamics won a $269.3 million contract modification from the US Navy in support of the UK Dreadnought fleet and the US Navy’s Columbia Class fleet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN). The modification includes the manufacturing of 42 missile tubes as well as missile tube outfitting material. The Dreadnought Class submarines, the future replacement for the Vanguard Class, will like their predecessors carry the Trident II D-5 missiles. The upcoming Columbia Class of nuclear submarines will replace the UGM-133 Trident II-armed Ohio Class. Work will take place in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania and is expected to be finished by May 2028.

February 27/19: Maintenance Britain awarded Rolls-Royce a $307 million contract to maintain nuclear submarines. Until 2022, Rolls Royce will provide support and advice for systems on board the fleet of Trafalgar, Vanguard and Astute class submarines. The new deal, known as the Nuclear Propulsion Lifetime Management (NPLM) contract, forms part of a wider suite of contracts with Rolls-Royce to provide naval reactor plant design, support, advice and components to the submarine build program and provide enabling services such as infrastructure and IT. The British Defense Ministry also revealed the name of the third Dreadnought submarine, which will be called the HMS Warspite. The name Warspite goes back to 1595 and was the last “great ship” to be built during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The newest submarine is expected to see service in the early 2030s, and will be the eighth Royal Navy ship to carry the name Warspite.

October 4/16: BAE Systems will commence work on the UK’s newest nuclear submarines following the release of nearly $1.7 billion in funds. The announcement was made by the Minister of Defence on Saturday after approval was given by MPs earlier this year. Known colloquially as the Trident system, the first of the Vanguard-class submarines will enter service in the early 2030s.

March 10/16: Britain’s Ministry of Defense has confirmed that it is to invest £642 million (US $908 million) in preparation for the production of its new fleet of Trident missile-armed nuclear submarines. The funding had initially been set out in the government’s 2015 strategic defense and security review (SDSR), and will be spent on upgrading production facilities at BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness nuclear submarine yard, essential long lead items for the submarines, and the nuclear propulsion program being led by Rolls-Royce. In total, the Successor submarine program is estimated to cost around $44 billion, with a contingency fund of $13 billion set aside for any emergencies that arise.

December 15/15: The UK government may nationalize the nuclear submarine arm of Rolls-Royce as concerns grow that the company may be subject to a takeover bid by a foreign company. The news comes as Rolls-Royce has reported its fifth profit warning in 20 months as the company struggles to come to grips with its finances. While it’s not usually the Conservative Party’s style to nationalize, the company is integral to the development of the powering of the Trident nuclear deterrent system. Other alternatives may see a partial or full merger with BAE Systems, although this has already been mooted. Either way, David Cameron will be impatient to keep the firm within British control to protect UK interests and the security of the Trident program.

FY 2014

 

Aug 21/14: Industrial. BAE is starting to demolish certain disused buildings at their Barrow-in-Furness site, as the 1st major stage in a large-scale 8-year industrial program. An old foundry and boiler shop are the first to go, and construction will eventually include:

• Refurbishment of the site’s main fabrication facility, together with its existing plant and machinery;
  
• An extension to the Devonshire Dock Hall construction facility to include a new state-of-the-art manufacturing and installation facility;
  
• An intent to build a 28,000 m2 off-site facility to store submarine parts and materials within the local area, for easier and faster access.

Sources: BAE Systems, “Demolition Begins To Transform Submarine Building”.

Feb 2/14: Politics. The buzz in Westminister is that Labour Party MPs are beginning to back away from their leader Ed Miliband’s support for the Successor Class. The erosion is serious enough that Conservative Party Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has told his junior ministers to lobby the shipbuilding unions and have them firm up Labour Party support.

The Liberal Democrats are openly against the project, but the Labour Party doesn’t want to head into the next election on a pledge to abandon Britain’s deterrent. Neither does the Conservative Party, despite reservations in some of its own quarters. Labour’s Miliband voiced his public displeasure over the perceived interference in his party’s affairs, but he has no way to block discussions with the shipbuilding unions. Sources: The Guardian, “Lobby ship unions over Trident, Philip Hammond tells ministers”.

Jan 31/14: RUSI Report. RUSI releases a report that looks at how a smaller or less active SSBN force would affect Britain’s deterrent, compared to the current arrangement of Continuous At-Sea Deterrence (CASD) that ensures at least 1 submarine ready at all times. A number of proposals are in play politically:

“At lower readiness, the ‘preserved deterrence’ posture presented in the TAR and the ‘contingency’ posture proposed elsewhere by the Liberal Democrat Party would have no nuclear platforms deployed on a day-to-day basis, and would only have the ability to reconstitute a force over a limited period of time (in the case of ‘preserved deterrence’, a matter of years).19 At medium levels of readiness, the ‘sustained’ or ‘responsive’ postures presented in the TAR would have nuclear-armed submarines patrolling on a day-to-day basis, interrupted by voluntary periods of inactivity of varying length (the former permitting fewer and shorter interruptions than the latter). At higher levels of readiness, the ‘focused’ posture would maintain back-to-back patrols, interrupted only for periods of technical or personnel recuperation.”

RUSI’s conclusion is that the lowest-readiness option, and proposals that would cut the submarine force to just 2 boats, are problematic because of the breadth of gaps and/or lag time they create. Medium levels of readiness, or a fleet of 3 boats, might work, but it means the UK has to change from deterrence as an undefined concept and invisible non-factor in crisis escalation. Instead, the need to activate the deterrent would require a very clear doctrine of deterrence and escalation that would play a significant role in future crises. This state of affairs also adds opportunities for British politicians to bungle things beforehand by ignoring vital signals, or create big problems during a crisis by managing their suddenly-public moves badly. Based on the historical record, RUSI is more complacent about future governments’ handling of such things than they ought to be.

Britain will also have to worry about rushed moves causing a submarine-related accident, and about the morale and readiness rot that afflicts personnel who see themselves as a sideline. RUSI uses the USA’s ICBM missile force as a negative example. Sources: RUSI, “A Disturbance in the Force: Debating Continuous At-Sea Deterrence” (see Additional Readings).

Key report

2013

Long-term nuclear infrastructure deal; Political turbulence in Scotland, Labour Party, and even the Conservative Party; Small long-lead buys begin.

Vanguard Class SSBN
(click to view full)

Dec 16/13: Procurement begins. GBP 79 million is a drop in the ocean for this program, but the UK MoD has begun the process of ordering known early-build items items like structural fittings, electrical equipment, castings and forgings, etc. The GBP 79 million in contracts are actually a set of 2, both awarded to BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines.

The Ministry of Defence also releases the 1st conceptual graphics of the Successor Class design, based on work done to date. At this stage, they don’t show much and shouldn’t be expected to. Sources: UK MoD, “News story: New investment in Successor submarines” | Royal Navy, “£79m investment in next generation nuclear submarines” | BAE, “First Successor procurement contracts awarded”.

Dec 15/13: Doubts. Former defense minister James Arbuthnot [Cons. – North East Hampshire], who chairs Parliament’s Defence Select Committee, tells the Guardian that he’s concerned about the UK armed forces, and is less sure that maintaining Britain’s nuclear deterrent is a good idea. He isn’t suddenly becoming a pacifist. Rather:

“Nuclear deterrence is essentially aimed at states, because it doesn’t work against terrorists. And you can only aim a nuclear weapon at a rational regime, and at rational states that are not already deterred by the US nuclear deterrent. So there is actually only a small set of targets.

“With the defence budget shrinking, you have to wonder whether [replacing Trident] is an appropriate use of very scarce defence sources. You have to wonder whether nuclear deterrence is still as effective a concept as it used to be in the cold war…. [If Russia wanted to attack, they] would organise for a terrorist group to put a nuclear weapon on a container ship and sail it into Tilbury docks, with the signature of Pakistan on the nuclear device. And what would the UK do? Launch a missile at Islamabad? We could not be sure against what we are retaliating. Nuclear deterrence does not provide the certainty that it seemed to in the past. It’s not an insurance policy, it is a potential booby trap.”

On the other hand, can Britain assume that the US nuclear deterrent will remain reliable over the next 50 years? The last half decade has greatly frayed their relationship, and the USA faces significant financial challenges of its own. Arbuthnot says he would still vote in favor of renewing Trident, but the extent and content of his reservations suggest that a “Syria moment” over nuclear weapons remains a possibility in Parliament. Sources: The Guardian, “Tory ex-defence minister voices doubts over need for Trident replacement”.

Oct 6/13: Not good. The Independent newspaper reports that a 90-minute breakdown of all reactor coolant supply at Devonport dockyard’s Tidal X-Berths in Plymouth, UK nearly led to a major nuclear incident. Based on a heavily redacted report from the Ministry of Defence’s Site Event Report Committee (SERC), both the electrical power for coolant supply to docked nuclear submarines, and the diesel back-up generators, failed at the dockyard on July 29/12. That failure followed a similar failure involving HMS Talent in 2009, and a partial failure involving HMS Trafalgar in 2011.

The newspaper adds that an internal Babcock investigation blamed the incident on the central nuclear switchboard, but added a note of concern about “inability to learn from previous incidents and to implement the recommendations from previous event reports.” This will not help existing uneasiness over the next generation of nuclear submarines, and “Nuclear scare at Navy submarine base after ‘unbelievable’ failures” adds that:

“Its own “stress test” on Devonport safety, launched after the Fukushima disaster, said that in the event of the failure of both power supplies, heat levels in reactors could be controlled by emergency portable water pumps, and added that such a failure had occurred a “number of times” previously.”

Dockyard failure

Oct 3/13: SSE. Babcock announces an unspecified contract from BAE Systems for the System Design phase of a new model of Submerged Signal Ejector (SSE Mk.12). It follows Babcock’s October 2012 system definition contract for the Successor Class’ WHLS (tactical weapons handling and launch) and SSE, thanks to a recent and successful concept review.

An SSE’s self-contained launch tubes sit in the submarine’s external under-casing, and are used for more than just communications beacons. Decoy devices, bathythermograph sensors, flares, and escape signals are all options for the SSE, hence Babcock’s description of it as a “first level system.” Babcock has extensive experience in SSE design and has been heavily involved in designing and making all UK SSE systems. Sources: Babcock International release, Oct 3/13.

March 19/13: Politics. With an SNP-sponsored debate on Trident set to take place in the Scottish Parliament this week, a Labour Party that depends on its advantage in Scotland needs to be clear on its policy. British media are reporting that the Labour Party is looking to backtrack slightly, and propose replacing the 4 Vanguard Class submarines with just 3 successors. Labour Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy continues to support the idea of a Trident replacement, saying that:

“North Korea is trying to develop nuclear weapons, as is Iran. If they do, then Saudi Arabia and Turkey may do the same. The UK shouldn’t just give up our nuclear deterrent by ourselves…. The precise shape of the future deterrent will be based on capability and cost.”

See: UK BBC | Daily Record | The Guardian | The Telegraph | left-wing New Statesman magazine.

March 7/13: Scotland. With a 2014 referendum looming that could deprive the UK of its nuclear submarine base in Scotland, Britain’s House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee weighs in. Bottom line? The SNP seems to have taken a leaf from their counterparts in Quebec, Canada, and decided to be extremely vague regarding their plans in a potentially controversial area. After all, 6,700 work at Falsane and Coulport now, which is expected to rise to 8,100 after they house all of Britain’s Astute and Trafalgar Class boats and other facilities. Parliament will be pressing the issue hard and publicly:

“Unfortunately, the Scottish Government has gone on evasive manoeuvres over the issue of what they will really do in the event of Separation. Their response dodges the central question, which is what they really mean by their stated policy of the ‘speediest safe transition’ of Trident from Scotland. As we said in our report, in reality, Trident can be deactivated within a matter of days and the warheads removed from Scotland within twenty four months. In the process, the UK would lose the ability to operate its nuclear deterrent. Alternatively, it would take approximately 25 years for new facilities to be created elsewhere in the UK. We believe the Scottish Government must be honest and open about their intentions. Tomorrow we will be taking evidence from the Convener and Shop Stewards at the Coulport and Faslane. They represent the workers who will bear the brunt of job loss…”

Really? 25 years? If so, the whole issue of the Successor Class could become moot very quickly. Which would be fine with the SNP, who want to eliminate the Trident program if Scotland does vote to stay in the UK. Expect to hear more of this sort of to-and-fro, what with another 5,000 jobs on the line in shipbuilding, 15,000 in the UK government 4 Army infantry battalions, 2 Royal Marine Commando units and 5 squadrons of Tornado and Typhoon fighter aircraft in Scotland. UK HoC | SNP | Aviation Week | The Scotsman.

Feb 13/13: Reactors. The UK MoD signs a 10-year, GBP 800 million (then about $1.2 billion) contract with Rolls Royce, financing the Submarines Enterprise Performance Programme (SEPP) envisioned in the 2010 SDSR. The goal is to consolidate costs under one contract with consistent incentives, and improve operational efficiency in the infrastructure that delivers and supports the UK’s naval nuclear propulsion systems. They’re hoping for a GBP 200 million saving over this 10 years. Time will tell.

SEPP isn’t technically part of any one program. Contracts for products and services to deliver and support the submarine programs themselves will continue in parallel. Royal Navy | Rolls Royce.

Jan 25/13: Electrical. HMS Vengeance’s GBP 350 million Long Overhaul Period and Refuel (LOP(R)) will feature a switch that’s likely to be a precursor for Britain’s next-generation SSBNs. Vengeance is replacing the maintenance-heavy rotating machinery of motor generators (MGs) with fixed solid-state Main Static Converters (MSCs), as a key component of the boat’s electrical system.

The new MSCs are derived from the system developed for Britain’s Astute Class SSNs, but adapted for the higher power requirements of an SSBN. They also had to be smaller, due to space limitations in the Vanguards. Finally, they had to successfully integrate into the Vanguard submarines’ existing electrical, control, and coolant systems. Installations have now begun, and a modified version is almost certain to to be part of Britain’s Successor Class. Its designers are likely to be watching the MSCs’ performance in the Vanguards closely. Babcock, via ASD.

2012

Design contracts; Reactors.

click for video

Dec 18/12: The British Ministry of Defense submits its 2012 report to Parliament [PDF] on the future nuclear deterrent, noting the ramp up in public and private resources via an Integrated Programme Management Team (IPMT). A whole boat System Definition Review is scheduled to take place in 2013. With respect to the big items:

“Of the [GBP] 3Bn we plan to spend in the Assessment Phase, the expenditure to the end of Financial Year 2011/2012 has totalled [GBP] 315M. This is some [GBP] 30M lower than expected at the time of the Initial Gate approval, principally as a result of slower than expected manpower build-up in our Industrial partners… still expects to deliver the Assessment Phase within the approved cost of [GBP] 3Bn… Current forecast costs, including planned SEPP efficiency measures, indicate that we remain within the 2006 White Paper estimates of [GBP] 11-14Bn (at 2006/7 prices) for the Successor platform costs (assuming a four boat fleet).

The 2006 White Paper also recognised that investment of [GBP] 4-6Bn (at 2006/7 prices) would be required for supporting infrastructure and a replacement warhead ([GBP] 2-3 Bn for each element). As set out in the 2011 report, the MOD plans to spend some [GBP] 8M between 2011 and 2013 assessing the requirement for additional infrastructure investment. The 2011 report also noted that a decision on whether to refurbish or replace the existing warhead design could be deferred until the next Parliament, as the current warhead design is now planned to continue in service until the 2030s.”

Oct 29/12: Design contracts. The UK commits GBP 350 million to design their next-generation SSBN submarine, which will incorporate CMC. The work will be divided GPB 315 million to BAE Systems, who already has over 1,000 people working on this program, and a further GBP 38 million to Babcock. This award is part of the GBP 3 billion design phase (vid. May 18/11 entry).

The current Vanguard Class submarines are scheduled for replacement from 2028, and Britain is busy moving its entire submarine force to Falsane in Scotland, which will grow to 8,000 jobs by 2017.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who leads Britain’s Liberal Democrat party, angrily denounced the way the move was presented by the government. The government presented it as another step toward renewing the submarine deterrent, but Clegg sees that as ‘jumping the gun.’ His party has set up a review that’s looking at options like shorter-range cruise missiles launched from the torpedo tubes of existing Astute Class fast attack submarines, or to air-launched nuclear missiles. UK MoD | BAE Systems | UK’s Daily Mail.

June 18/12: Reactors. Britain’s Ministry of Defense signs a GBP 1.1 billion contract with Rolls Royce for submarine nuclear reactor cores, (GBP 600 million) and industrial investment in the Raynesway plant that manufactures them (GBP 500 million). The contracts will secure 300 jobs at Rolls-Royce.

The nuclear reactor cores will be used to power the 7th and final SSN Astute Class fast attack submarine, and the 1st of the Royal Navy’s next generation of SSBN nuclear deterrent submarines, currently known as the Successor Class.

Rolls Royce is the sole Technical Authority for the UK Nuclear Steam Raising Plant, whose reactors have powered British nuclear-powered submarines for the past 50 years. The GBP 500 million infrastructure contract aims extend the operating life of the Rayneway plant in Derby, UK, by more than 40 years. Rolls-Royce will continue to maintain and operate its existing reactor core manufacturing facility, while undertaking a parallel phased rebuild and modernization of buildings on site. UK MoD | Rolls Royce | The Telegraph.

May 22/12: Design contracts. The UK MoD issues a series of design phase (vid. May 18/11 entry) contracts for its next-generation “Successor” Class SSBNs, while re-iterating that a decision on the final design and build contracts won’t be made until 2016. The design work has to be done, or it would be impossible to make an informed decision about costs.

BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines receives the main design contract, worth GBP 328 million.

Babcock receives a GBP 15 million contract to focus on designing parts of the in-service support program.

Rolls Royce receives over GBP 4 million to integrate a new reactor design into the submarine. The reactors themselves will be separate design/ build contracts.

May 15/12: 5 bn for AWE. The UK MoD announces a multi-billion pound agreement with the AWE Management Limited (AWEML) joint venture, which manages Britain’s Atomic Weapons Establishment. The AWEML joint venture includes Jacobs Engineering, Serco and Lockheed Martin, and they signed the current 25-year management contract in 2000.

Scientists at the AWE’s Berkshire sites are involved from the initial concept and design of British nuclear warheads, through manufacture and support, to their decommissioning and disposal. Under the agreement, the ministry will invest GBP 1 billion a year over the next 5 years in skills and facilities at the company’s Aldermaston and Burghfield sites in Berkshire, where more than 4,500 staff are based. Around 40% cent of this money will be invested in essential capital projects, including production and research facilities. The remainder will be spent on operating and maintaining the AWE.

2010 – 2011

Initial Gate. SDSR.

UK Trident launch
(click to view full)

May 19/11: Initial Gate. The British government approves the initial Successor Class assessment phase, known as Initial Gate. This allows a design phase to begin that could be worth up to GBP 3 billion.

The new submarine class will retain the current Trident II D5 missiles, and introduce a PWR3-based passive cooling nuclear reactor design for the Royal Navy. The cost for 4 boats is estimated to be GBP 15-20 billion at 2006/7 prices, but the final decision to build 3 or 4 submarines will be taken in 2016. UK House of Commons, “Statement on the Nuclear Deterrent.” | UK MoD.

Design Phase approved

March 23/11: New reactor? Britain is reportedly shifting toward the passive-cooling PWR3 nuclear reactor design for its future SSBN nuclear missile submarines. The PWR2 design used in its SSBN Vanguard Class, as well as the SSN Trafalgar, and new SSN Astute Class fast attack boats, reportedly shares unwelcome features with the Fukushima reactors, in that they entirely on back-up power supplies to provide emergency cooling in the event of an accident.

In contrast the PWR3, which is widely used in modern US nuclear submarines, uses “passive” cooling. That makes it less reliant on back-up power, and offers additional methods of injecting coolant into a reactor.
www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/mar/23/navy-submarines-nuclear-reactors

Oct 18/10: SDSR Britain’s new government releases its 2010 Strategic Defense and Strategy Review [PDF]. With respect to its future SSBNs, the government intends to move forward, but:

“Under the 1958 UK-US Agreement for Cooperation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes (the ‘Mutual Defence Agreement’) we have agreed on the future of the Trident D5 delivery system and determined that a replacement warhead is not required until at least the late 2030s. Decisions on replacing the warhead will not therefore be required in this Parliament. This will defer £500 million of spending from the next 10 years. We have also reached agreement with the US over the size of the missile tubes in the new submarines; this has enabled us to reduce the cost of the submarine missile compartment by up to [GBP] 250 million.

As a result of our value for money review, we will reduce the number of operational launch tubes on the submarines from 12 to [8], and the number of warheads from 48 to 40, in line with our commitment vigorously to pursue multilateral global disarmament. This will help reduce costs by [GBP] 750 million over the period of the spending review, and by [GBP] 3.2 billion over the next ten years. ‘Initial Gate’ – a decision to move ahead with early stages of the work involved – will be approved and the next phase of the project will start by the end of this year. ‘Main Gate’ – the decision to start building the submarines – is required around 2016.”

There is tension in the governing coalition between Conservative party members, who want to maintain the deterrent, and the Liberal-Democrat party members, who do not.

SDSR

2006 -2009

Concept designs. Integrated project team.

Vanguard cutaway
(click to view larger)

March 19/09: Report. Edward Leigh MP, Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts, makes a statement as the committee publishes “The United Kingdom’s future nuclear deterrent capability” :

“The Department’s timetable for completing the design and build process for the replacement submarines is extremely tight. It has 17 years to do it, even though the Department itself accepts that such a process usually cannot be completed in under 18. The MOD’s track record in delivering major defence projects on time is not exemplary.

The MOD must make absolutely fundamental decisions about the design of the new submarines by September of this year. These include the main design features; whether to develop a new type of nuclear reactor requiring substantial research and development; and, crucially, the design and size of the missile compartment.”

Oct 26/07: Concepts. BAE presents 2 SSBN concept designs at DSEi 2007, labelled Concept 35 and Advanced Hull Form (AHF). Concept 35 is an evolution of the SSBN Vanguard Class and SSN Astute Class. The Advanced Hull Form uses a broad y-shaped stern with twin propulsor shrouds, which reportedly houses much of the boat’s machinery outside of the pressure hull. See Beedall for pictures.

Oct 18/07: IPT opened. BAE Systems announces that Rear Admiral Paul Thomas CB, FREng chairman of the defence nuclear safety committee, has officially opened the Future Submarines (FSM) Integrated Project Team office at Barrow-in-Furness.

“This element of the Future Submarines IPT will be based on the BAE Systems Submarine Solutions site and will be manned by a collaboration of up to 128 personnel made up from the Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems, Rolls Royce and Babcock Marine. Working with the FSM IPT office in the MoD’s Abbey Wood offices, the team will, over the next two years, develop a concept design for the submarine component of the future deterrent programme.”

March 4/07: Vote. Britain’s Labour government wins a 409 – 161 vote to build a new SSBN successor the Vanguard Class. 95 Labour Party MPs vote “no,” but the motion passes with the support of most Labour Party MPs and Britain’s Conservative Party. Britain’s Liberal Democratic Party, Green Party, and Scottish National Party are all opposed as matters of party policy. BBC | The Guardian | The Telegraph.

Commons vote

Dec 4/06: Britain’s government releases “The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent” [PDF] white paper, and decides to maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrent. That will mean building a class of 3 or 4 SSBNs, to replace the current fleet of 4 Vanguards.

White Paper

Additional Readings UK SSBNs

• BAE – Successor.

• Navy Matters – Future Submarines.

• DID – CMC Program to Define Future SSBN Launchers for UK, USA.

• DID – Trident II D5 Missile: Keeping Up with Changing Times.

• DID (March 27/12) – GBP 350M for Final Refit of UK’s Vanguard Nuclear Missile Subs. Final? Other refits may be needed in future, in order to keep the Vanguards in service until the new submarines arrive. These will be the last British nuclear submarines to require a Long Overhaul Period and Refuel (LOP-R) during their service lives. The New PWR2 Mk.2 reactor in refitted Vanguard and current Astute submarines, and the PWR3 reactors in the new submarines, will last for the submarine’s entire lifetime.

Official Reports

• UK Ministry of Defence (Dec 18/12) – The United Kingdom’s Future Nuclear Deterrent: 2012 Update to Parliament [PDF].

• UK Parliament (May 19/11) – Statement on the nuclear deterrent.

• UK Committee on Public Accounts (March 19/10) – The United Kingdom’s future nuclear deterrent capability.

• UK Defence Committee (May 24/07) – The Future of the UK’s Strategic Nuclear Deterrent: the White Paper: Government Response to the Committee’s Ninth Report of Session 2006-07.

• UK Defence Committee (Dec 19/06) – Fourth Report of Session 2006-07, The future of the UK’s strategic nuclear deterrent: the manufacturing and skills base, HC 59.

• UK MoD (2006) – The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent: Defence White Paper 2006 [PDF].

News & Views

• RUSI (January 2014) – A Disturbance in the Force: Debating Continuous At-Sea Deterrence [PDF]. See also their release, complete with YouTube video.

• Naval Technology (July 30/13) – Deep impact: inside the UK’s new Successor-Class nuclear submarine.

• RUSI, on TouTube (July 16/13) – Danny Alexander on the Trident Alternative Review [59:14].

• LabourList beta (Jan 29/13) – Will Trident split the Labour Party in half?.

• RUSI (July 29/10) – Like for like renewal of Trident will come at expense of conventional forces.

FH-77Bs, Kargil War
(click to view full)

India has marked over $4 billion worth of artillery projects to purchase several hundred new 155mm howitzers. They are intended to supplement India’s dwindling artillery stocks, while out-ranging and out-shooting Pakistan’s self-propelled M109 155mm guns. It seemed simple enough, and in the main towed artillery competition, BAE Systems Bofors had been competing against systems from Israel’s Soltam and Denel of South Africa.

Unfortunately, India’s 2 towed howitzer competitions, and its 2 self-propelled artillery procurements, have mostly served as cautionary tales. If the stakes weren’t so high, they’d qualify as farce. The simple process of buying off-the-shelf artillery guns has become a decades-long affair filled with legal drama, accusations of corruption, and multiple re-starts – but not one new gun. Competitions are declared, and canceled, again and again. One is on its 5th iteration. Another is on its 3rd. Meanwhile, India’s stock of operational 155mm FH77 howitzers has dwindled to around 200, and their last successful artillery buy was over 2 decades ago. Is there an end in sight to any of these competitions? Or a potential winner?

Towed Artillery Competition Saga

Soltam Rascal
(click to view full)

US-India Defense and Strategic Affairs reported on the competition in 2004, and noted that this was expected to be one of the first large defense procurement decisions made by India’s new United Progressive Alliance government. The question became whether a decision could be made within that government’s term(s) of office. The answer: no.

The saga is illustrative of the problems India’s defense bureaucracy is creating across all of its artillery competitions, as it attempts to field working products before its existing artillery systems expire.

After multiple firing trials and several years, India’s towed artillery competition managed to end up without any competitors left standing. All 3 competitors (Bofors FH-77 B05, Soltam TIG 2002, Denel G5/2000) failed to meet India’s accuracy specifications in 2003 trials. Which might lead one to question the specifications, but all 3 improved their guns to compete again in 2004. There are reports that Soltam fell out of the race entirely, after a barrel burst during field trials. Then South Africa’s Denel was sidelined in 2004 and eliminated in 2005, after the Indian government accused the manufacturer of corruption in another defense deal.

That created problems on 2 fronts. One front involved a key competitor. Denel’s financial situation was deteriorating, and The Times of India reported that the contract may have been critical to the firm’s financial survival. In hindsight, that concern was valid, but Denel managed to survive the loss. A win certainly would have made a significant difference, and might have allowed Denel to delay its major corporate restructuring and associated strategic rethinking for several years.

Bofors’ FH-77B05:
Winner by default?
(click to view full)

The other problem involved India’s Ministry of Defence. India’s defense procurement establishment has shown an extreme risk-averse behavior and Defense India observes that when a competition devolves to a single-vendor solution, the practice is often to re-tender. Soltam and Denel’s exit left just BAE Bofors, until they, too were eliminated by allegations that Bofors had paid INR 640 million (about $16 million) in bribes, trying to secure the order.

The net effect of corporate blacklists, plus single-vendor prohibitions, is a process that can’t field equipment to India’s military when it’s needed – and sometimes ever. Unfortunately for India’s front-line soldiers, their need for working artillery hasn’t changed.

Indian history suggests that this is a long-standing problem. Bofors Defence AB had been blacklisted by India before, after allegations of kickbacks in a 1987 deal during Rajiv Gandhi’s regime. That scandal had derailed a planned 1,500 gun buy, reducing it to 410 FH-77 B02 howitzers. Fortunately for India, those guns arrived in time to become an iconic feature of the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan. On the civil front, meanwhile, those accused in the Bofors case eventually had their day in court, and won. Leaving behind a number of questions that India’s political class would rather leave unasked.

In April 2007, India re-opened its towed howitzer competition again, and the passage of time had created a number of changes in its requirements and options. By November 2009, however, it was the same old dynamic. The mere allegation of bribery had frozen the competition again, by leaving just 1 eligible contender. Would the January 2011 re-start fare any better?

Meanwhile, the support contract with Bofors for India’s in-service howitzers expired in 2001. As of January 2009, India’s stock was believed to sit at just 200 operational 155/39 caliber guns. They are accompanied by existing stocks of Soviet-era 130mm artillery, and 105mm light guns. A contract with Soltam (now Elbit) of Israel has converted some of those 130mm howitzers to 155mm/45 caliber weapons, raising the guns’ range from 26 km to 39 km/ 24 miles.

India’s Howitzer Competitions

Zuzana SPH
(click to view larger)

The competition for Indian artillery is actually several competitions.

Towed Howitzers

The competition covered in the previous section involves about $1.8 billion for 400 towed 155/52 artillery guns, to be followed by production of up to 1,180 in India.

Current Status: 5th RFP is now out. Winter and summer trials planned in 2010, now in limbo. BAE Bofors’ FH77 was competing against ST Engineering’s FH-2000, but BAE pulled out, and ST Kinetics is barred by a 10-year blacklist. France’s Nexter is now partnered with India’s Larsen & Toubro to offer the purpose built Trajan gun, while Israel’s Elbit Systems is partnered with The Kalyani Group to offer its ATHOS 2052.

On the sidelines, India’s DRDO has used the blockage to start a design project of its own. It also turned out that India’s incompetent Ordnance Factory Board has been sitting on the plans it was given for the 155/39 caliber Bofors FH77B02, as the tech transfer piece of the 1990s buy that allowed licensed production in India. An October 2011 decision directed the OFB to begin manufacturing 155/39 and 155/45 caliber “Dhanush” versions of these guns for trials, for delivery beginning in December 2012, but there have been issues with the guns, and they’re still tied up in testing. India’s government has approved a potential contract for 114, but plans could add another 400.

Farther into the future, some private Indian firms are collaborating with the DRDO’s Armament Research and Development Establishment in Pune to design a 155 mm/52-caliber Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) with a 50 km strike range by 2016. Maybe they can field a gun with substantially longer range than existing global offerings. Maybe they can’t. Maybe the unfulfilled chase will end up derailing the purchase of actual working weapons, which is the usual pattern in India.

Ultra-Light Howitzers

A 2nd competition involves about $700 million for the ultra-light 155/39 howitzer competition, covering about 145 pieces. These would be portable, towed guns.

Current status: India’s government may be doing a government-to-government deal, as an emergency end-run to buy BAE’s M777, and bolster its dwindling artillery.

Singapore’s Pegasus was picked in 2009, but ST Kinetics’ 10-year blacklisting has derailed them, pending a legal fight. The reasons for the M777’s holdup are a combination of the Indian bureaucracy’s inability to conduct the required trials in over 2 years since the DSCA request, reports that legal advisors were worried about a decision in the ST Kinetics’ legal case entangling any M777 buy, and unwillingness to pay the $4.48 million per gun cost for a unique product with lots of titanium in it.

In May 2012, India’s MoD was reportedly cleared to negotiation an M777 contract worth around $550 million. As of November 2014, they haven’t managed to get anything done. Meanwhile, India has been pushed off high-altitude territory on the Chinese border, where air-transportable M777 guns would have strengthened its position considerably.

Self-Propelled Tracked Howitzers

A 3rd competition would spend about $800 million for about 100 155mm self-propelled tracked guns. The BHIM (Denel G-6 gun on Arjun tank chassis) winner was terminated in 2006, when Denel was barred following a corruption case. Partner Bharat Earth Movers was the big loser. Another RFP in 2007 failed, as all of the firms with products to offer were barred from India.

Current contenders include Samsung-Techwin’s K-9 Thunder, in partnership with India’s Larsen & Toubro. A Russian tie-up with India’s state-run Ordnance Factory Board offers a modified 155mm/52 caliber MSTA-S system on a T72 main battle tank chassis.

Current status: After a period of limbo, India gave indications that some kind of process was underway in 2013, with 3 Indian firms participating. In the mean time, India has ordered 40 locally-designed Catapault Mk.IIs, which mount a Russian 130mm gun on an Arjun tank chassis. They’ll replace aging Catapult Mk.Is, which mount the same gun on license-built Vijayanta (T-72) chassis, but neither system can match the range of a 155mm gun.

As a point of comparison, India’s rival Pakistan began its own process in 2005, and bought 115 tracked M109A5 155mm self-propelled howitzers from the USA at a very cheap price. The M109s have greater range than the Catapults, and the last one was delivered to Pakistan in 2010.

Self-Propelled Wheeled Howitzers (Mobile Gun System)

A 4th competition involves about $900 million – $1 billion for 180 self-propelled wheeled guns.

Current status: Canceled November 2011. RFP responses were reported to pit Slovakia’s 155/45 Zuzana system against Germany’s Rheinmetall and their RWG-52 155/52 system, which uses the PzH-2000 turret. Samsung Technwin’s entry, which is no longer listed in their product line, was eliminated from competition in 2009.

Indian firm Ashok Leyland has partnered with France’s Nexter, and will offer the Caesar 155/52 caliber artillery system mounted on their Super Stallion 6×6 truck.

Contracts and Key Events 2018-2019

April 23/19: ATHOS 2052 to India Local media reported that Elbit Systems has won a tender to deliver its ATHOS (Autonomous Towed Howitzer Ordnance System) 2052 to the Indian Army, in a deal estimated at over $1 Billion. The bid by Israeli defense manufacturer Elbit Systems and its Indian partner Bharat Forge has emerged as the winner in the Indian Army’s 155 mm, 52 calibre towed artillery gun competition. The price point at which the Elbit-Bharat Forge gun is being offered is even lower than the indigenously developed Dhanush 155 mm, 42 calibre gun, which is being manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board. According to Elbit Systems, ATHOS is capable of a range of more than 40km and utilizes a self-propelling capability and automatic laying mode. It is integrated with fully-computerized systems, achieving automatic control, accurate navigation, and target acquisition. The company has yet to command on the outcome of the Indian Tender.

2015-2016

FARP modernization plan overview; Conditional order for 114 guns from the geniuses at OFB; 40 Catapult Mk.II SPHs; DAC clears mounted gun program; Major shortages in artillery charges & fuses; Denel & IMI Blacklistings rolled back for lack of evidence; Elbit signs Indian joint venture; JV for Nexter.

M777: Chinook pick-up
(click to view full)

March 24/16: India has received a tender from French state-owned weapons manufacturer Nexter to supply its army with 1,400 155mm towed cannons. Nexter’s participation in the $1.1 billion bid was made when its chairman, Stéphane Mayer, informed the National Assembly defense committee that it would be “the contract of the century for artillery.” The company has teamed with local partner Larsen & Toubro to offer its Trajan 155mm/52 caliber gun and faces competition from Elbit Systems, partnered with Bharat Forge.

February 23/16: BAE Systems UK is to cooperate with India’s Mahindra Group to produce 145 light howitzer guns for the Indian Army. The arrangement follows the 2015 proposal by BAE’s US subsidiary to sell 145 M777A2 LW155 howitzers at a cost of $700 million, and are dependent on BAE commitments to set up assembly, integration and test (AIT) facilities in India. Mahindra Group won out against other domestic defense companies including India’s state-owned Ordnance Factory Board and private sector companies Larsen & Toubro, Tata Power (Strategic Engineering Division), Punj Lloyd and the Kalyani Group.

October 9/15: The Indian Defence Ministry has shortlisted the Samsung Techwin K-9 Thunder howitzer for the country’s self-propelled tracked gun requirement, a much-delayed competition thought to value approximately $800 million. One hundred guns are required for the Indian Army, with local firm Larson & Toubro partnering with the South Korean firm to offer manufacturing in India. The Thunder beat the Russian-designed MSTA-SP 2S19 howitzer mounted on a T-72 tank chassis, with the Russian bid partnering with the Indian state-run Ordnance Factory Board to satisfy offset requirements.

2013 – 2014

Nov 23/14: India’s Defence Acquisition Council, with new defense minister Manohar Parrikar, clears the INR 157 billion (about $2.56 billion) proposal to buy 814 mounted 155mm artillery guns. A fresh RFP will be issued, with “Buy and Make India” terms that allow foreign partnerships, but force the systems to be manufactured in India. Larsen & Toubro, TATA, and Bharat Forge are expected to bid.

At the same time, the DAC approved an INR 71.6 billion integrated Air Command and Control System, but left programs for 56 light aerial transports and 106 basic-intermediate trainer turboprops in limbo. Note that programs approved by the DAC still need top-level approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security, which includes the Prime Minister. Sources: NDTV, “A Hurdle for ‘Make in India’ Push in Defence: Why Air Force Plane Deal Was Put on Hold” | dna India, “Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar clears proposal to acquire 814 artillery guns for Rs 15,750 crore” | Times of India, “Govt clears proposal to acquire 814 artillery guns for Rs 15,570 crore”.

Nov 18/14: IMI. India quietly lifts a ban on Israel Military Industries (q.v. Nov 12/09, July 7/10, March 5/12), in the face of a situation where its state-owned Ordnance Factory Board is manifestly failing to deliver key fuses, precision-guided shells, and artillery firing charges. The result is a critical set of shortages (q.v. Sept 15/14). IMI offers a full line of shells and charges, plus the GMM 120 laser/GPS-guided 120mm mortar shell, and tank design and manufacturing experience from its Merkava family.

The ban is actually lifted on the grounds that India’s CBI hasn’t substantiated its charges that IMI bribed OFB officials, which may touch off some interesting conversations with other blacklisted firms like Singapore’s ST Kinetics (q.v. March 5/12). Sources: Defense News, “India Removes IMI From Blacklist”.

Sept 15/14: Update. After a 5th set of towed howitzer trials, featuring Nexter’s Trajan and Elbit’s ATHOS 2052, India’s MoD is readying its report. That report will supposedly arrive in the Ministry of Defence by the end of 2014. Domestically, license-built “Dhanush” variants of Bofors’ FH77B (q.v. April 29/13) are conducting their own final round of trials, following a burst barrel in summer 2013. Meanwhile:

“The [Army’s Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan] envisages inducting a perplexing mix of 1,580 TGS, 814 mounted platforms and the outright purchase of 145 BAE Systems M777 155 mm/39-caliber ultra-light howitzers; that too is mired in unnecessary red tape and confusion. Also included is the outright purchase of 100 SPT howitzers and 180 self-propelled wheeled howitzers with another 120 to be built locally under a technology transfer agreement. The critical howitzer shortage and obsolescence of existing platforms is possibly the worst of the Army’s innumerable deficiencies…. Proposals are also afoot to privatise ordnance manufacture to meet shortages. The Army faces a shortfall of some 50,000 155 mm precision-guided munitions rounds, more than 21,200 bi-modular charge systems, and around one million electronic fuses which the OFB is incapable of fulfilling.”

Lovely. Sources: The Hindu, “Feeble fire in the big guns”.

Aug 29/14: SPH. India’s high-level Defence Acquisition Council clears an INR 8.2 billion (about $137 million) purchase of 40 Catapult Mk.II tracked artillery systems from DRDO’s Combat Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) in Avadhi. The new system uses the same aging, short-range Russian D-30 130mm guns as the 1980s-era Catapult Mk.I, but it substitutes an indigenous Arjun tank chassis for a license-built “Vijayanta” (modified Vickers Mk.1) chassis. The result is a tracked, self-propelled system with good mobility and much improved access to spares and maintenance, but a firing range of just 24 km.

Clearance must still come from the CCS, but this purchase is effectively done. An Indian officer points out that this works out to $3.75 million per system for a small handful of units, which can’t reach critical high-altitude contested areas like Kashmir or the Chinese border. Meanwhile, helicopter-transportable M777 155mm guns that can fire GPS-guided shells 40km remain in limbo, because India is balking at a price of $4.48 million per gun. That works out to about $650 million for the desired 145, or $179 million as an equivalent emergency buy of 40.

As an even more invidious comparison, neighboring Pakistan bought 115 used M109A5 self-propelled 155mm howitzers from the USA in 2005 – and paid just $56 million. They outrange the Catapults, of course, and all of them were fielded by 2010. To add injury to insult, Pakistan is also working with China’s North Industries Corp. to upgrade 400 of its own D-30 towed guns to 155mm caliber. Sources: Defense News, “Indian Analysts Rap Plan To Buy Homemade 130mm Artillery Gun”.

SPH: 40 Catapult Mk.II

Aug 19/14: Denel. The new BJP government quietly lifts its 9-year ban on Denel in an Aug 12/14 letter, judging that India’s CBI had failed to substantiate corruption charges stemming from the NTW-20 anti-material rifle competition. Those charges cancelled the NTW-20 contract, led to Indian design of the suspiciously similar Vidhwansak anti-materiel rifle, and sank the 155mm BHIM (G-6 gun on Arjun chassis) self-propelled howitzer contract in 2005.

The G-6 is an outstanding 155mm gun, and fielded options could become strong competitors in the towed competition (if that is re-opened), or the wheeled Mobile Gun System requirement. The Catapult Mk.II’s small production run could also insert the G-6 back into the self-propelled howitzer competition, re-launching BHIM as as Catapult Mk.III. Sources: South Africa’s defenseWeb, “Huge Indian market to become available to Denel as blacklisting resolves” | South Africa’s Engineering News, “India ends ban on Denel” | Defense World, “India Clears Denel Of Corruption Charges, De-Blacklists Company”.

Feb 25/14: M777. With elections looming, India’s Ministry of Defence clears a whole series of defense projects: upgrades for 37 airbases, modernization of 5 ordnance depots, 4,000 hand-held thermal imagers for soldiers, 5,000 thermal imaging sights for tanks and infantry combat vehicles, 44,000 light-machine guns, 702 light armoured multi-purpose vehicles, and 250 RAFAEL Spice IIR/GPS guided smart bombs. The M777 isn’t among them:

“The M-777 howitzer contract, which is a direct government-to-government deal under the US foreign military sales programme, has been hanging fire since January 2010. Due to the long delay, the American Defence Security Cooperation Agency has hiked the cost of the M-777 deal from the earlier $ 647 million to $885 million now. The Army wants these 155mm/39-calibre howitzers since they can be swiftly deployed in high-altitude areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh by helicopters and aircraft to counter China.”

China has been seizing Indian territory again in this high-altitude region, but apparently that isn’t urgent enough to prompt action. Thermal imagers and light machine guns are useful, but they aren’t going to change the situation anywhere. Sources: Times of India, “Decision on four key defence deals put off”.

February 2014: MGS. Indian truck firm Ashok Leyland, whose trucks have a huge presence in the Indian military, announces a number of new vehicles for their product line. these include a brand-new 2.5t “Garuda” 4×4, a new Mine Protected Vehicle (MPV), and variants of the new Super Stallion heavy truck. The latter include a 10×10 configuration, an 8×8 configuration that will be integrated with Saab’s BAMSE missile system for India’s SR-SAM air defense competition, and a partnership with France’s Nexter to mount the Caesar 155mm artillery system on its 6×6 Super Stallion truck.

Larsen & Toubro is Nexter’s other Indian partner, and an example of their offering is later unveiled at DefExpo 2014 in June. Sources: Ahok Leyland, “Ashok Leyland unveils a two-pronged strategy for Defence” | The Hindu Business Line, “Nexter Systems, L&T and Ashok Leyland to develop artillery system”.

Feb 12/14: Towed. Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) of India displays its 155/45mm Dhanush towed howitzer at India’s Defexpo 2014. They’ve manufactured 6 prototypes so far, and the most recent prototype includes several changes.

OFB is aiming to improve range over the base FH77 from 27 km – 38 km, and the added a modern computerized fire control system. Mechanical redesigns have had to include the gun cradle, muzzle brake, and of course the higher-caliber gun. According to the presenter, they’re hoping to reach the approval stage in India within 6-8 months, and to triple manufacturing capacity to 3 guns/ month. Cold weather and desert testing has been conducted (+45C to -15C), and Dhanush will be sent to Sikkim firing range for another round of trial tests to check its accuracy and range. Sources: Army Recognition, “OFP Dhanush 155mm howitzer at Defexpo 2014”.

Aug 7/13: M777. The US DSCA publishes [PDF] an official follow-on export request from India for 145 M777 guns, under modified terms compared to the Jan 26/10 request, which is superseded by this one.

The Indian guns will use the same Laser Inertial Artillery Pointing Systems (LINAPS) equipment as Canada’s M777s, and the estimated cost for the guns plus warranty, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, training, and other US government and contractor support has risen from $647 – $885 million.

The other item that has changed is the acknowledgement of a 30% industrial offsets contract, in conformance to India’s official Defense Procurement Procedure (DPP). That has to be part of a negotiated contract, which can be signed within 30 days of this notice.

The principal contractors haven’t changed: BAE of Hattiesburg, MS; Watervliet Arsenal of Watervliet, NY; Seiler Instrument Company of St Louis, MO; Triumph Actuation Systems of Bloomfield, CT; Taylor Devices of North Tonawanda, NY; Hutchinson Industries of Trenton, NJ; and Selex in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Likewise, implementation of this proposed sale will still require annual trips to India involving up to 8 U.S. Government and contractor representatives for technical reviews/support, training, and in-country trials, over a period of approximately 2 years.

DSCA: M777 Request, Revised

Aug 3/13: M777. Negotiations are still underway in India. So what’s new? According to the Business Standard, the expected price is now INR 40 billion due to the falling rupee, and the industrial offsets issue is almost resolved. If India can manage to finalize the sale, the Mountain Strike Corps that they announced in July 2013 would receive the 145 guns.

The key seems to be offsets. The initial DSCA announcement (q.v. Jan 26/10) didn’t include offsets, but BAE sees the potential to equip artillery regiments in up to 7 more Indian corps, given deployment patterns and India’s mountainous borders. As such, they’ve accepted a standard 30% offset liability of about $195 million. About $58.5 million can be discharged by transferring technology, as India badly needs to field bi-modular charge systems (BMCS) for artillery. If they hadn’t blacklisted Denel and Israel Military Industries, they’d have it already. The rest will reportedly be discharged by manufacturing some components in India, including work for its “future artillery gun” and “future naval gun” programs.

India’s challenge is to break with its general practice and place a timely order. BAE’s Mississippi plant is being kept active in anticipation of an Indian order, but if India dithers much, the price will rise sharply to pay production line restart costs. On the other hand, early execution could see India field the new gun by early 2014. India’s Business Standard.

June 25/13: SPH. A draft document [PDF] available on the Indian Army’s website confirms renewed activity to procure vehicle-mounted 155mm / 52 calibre systems. The Request for Information is still labeled as a draft, though it stipulates answers by September 1st, which leaves little time for both the Army to finalize it then vendors to send their replies. The RFI is explicitly addressed exclusively to Indian firms. However, joint ventures with foreign partners seem acceptable. Among the technical questions, the Army inquires whether the vendors’ sighting system will use a GPS-based inertial navigation system.

May 6/13: SPH. A Parliamentary reply indicates that India is pursuing another avenue for new self-propelled guns, in the wake of the 2007 RFP’s failure:

“A case for procurement of Qty.100 x 155mm/52 Calibre Tracked (self-propelled) Guns is in progress wherein three Indian vendors, including two private sector companies, have been selected for trials of their equipment. The recent amendments to the DPP-2011 which have been accepted by the Defence Acquisition Council aim to give higher preference to indigenous capacity in the Defence Sector.”

It will be interesting to see which companies are involved, and what they’re offering. Bharat Forge’s partnership with Elbit (q.v. Feb 7/13 entry) would allow them to offer the Rascal system, for instance.

April 29/13: 114 from OFB. Minister of state for Defence Shri Jitendra Singh confirms the contract details with India’s Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), who discovered that they had been sitting on blueprints to license-produce the 155/39 FH77 howitzer for over 20 years (vid. Oct 15/11), even as OFB personnel destroyed previous competitions by soliciting bribes.

OFB have carried out several firings of their derivative 155mm x 45 calibre gun, but it hasn’t been submitted for user testing yet, and hasn’t received production clearance. Once they get that clearance, there’s a contract for 114 towed guns. The first 6 will be delivered within 8 months of clearance, and another 6 over the next 4 months. Year 2 will produce 36 guns, and the last 60 will be manufactured in year 3. Indian government.

OFB contract for 114 license-built FH77/45s

April 29/13: What, me worry? Defense Minister AK Antony offers the usual non-response to a Parliamentary question that asks about the delays in getting India’s Army new artillery. We’ll save you the verbiage. Summary: “Nothing’s happening, and we’re not doing much about it, either.”

Feb 7/13: Elbit/Bharat JV. Israel’s Elbit Systems is forming a joint venture with the Kalyani Group’s Bharat Forge, to market advanced artillery and mortar systems in India.

Elbit products in this field include their Athos towed and Atmos wheeled self-propelled artillery, and their 120mm vehicle-mounted Cardom mortar. They also upgrade Soviet caliber artillery systems. Defense Update | Economic Times.

Feb 6/13: M777, FH-77. India Strategic quotes Chief of the Army Staff Gen Bikram Singh as saying that “whatever the reasons earlier [for delaying the M777 purchase], there would be no delay now.” India has held its firing trials, asked for some changes, and verified that BAE has made them. The Maintainability Evaluation is done, and negotiations are now focused on the price of 145 of the 155mm/ 39 caliber guns, plus a support package.

India’s 2004 buy of counter-fire artillery radars in 2004 reportedly omitted support considerations, and they don’t want to have to go through that problem again.

On another front, trials of the state-run OFB’s license-built Bofors FH-77Bs are now slated for the summer of 2013. The original guns and plans are 155 mm/ 39 caliber, but OFB’s version will be 155/45 caliber instead. Many standard towed 155mm guns these days are 155/52 caliber or more, and if India’s towed guns solicitation ever goes ahead, it will probably be to that specification. India Strategic writes:

“Senior officers of the Army are confident that the acquisition of M-777 will not go beyond 2013, and if there is a delay, it would not be beyond the coming fiscal year April 2013-March 2014. That is, a delay of not more than three months beyond 2013.”

2011 – 2012

M777 buy cleared; Wheeled tender canceled; 5th towed RFP – but not for BAE; DRDO launches indigenous 155mm development; OFB had India’s solution the whole time!?!

US M777A2
fires Excalibur
(click to view full)

May 16/12: License-build. A written reply by Minister of State for Defence Dr MM Pallam Rajuin sets out India’s initial plans to license-build FH-77B02 155mm guns for initial trials, and confirms that India has a standing license agreement with M/s AB Bofors to produce the FH-77B02 155/39 caliber gun and its ammunition. If trials go well, full-scale production may begin.

Meanwhile, India’s state-owned Ordnance Factory Board will produce 2 FH77 155mm /39 caliber prototypes by December 2012. This is the same gun India is currently using. By June 2013, the OFB will also produce 2 upgraded FH77 155/45 caliber guns, with electronic and mechanical upgrades, and apply the same upgrades to 1 existing 155/39 gun. India’s MoD says that the Technology Transfer Agreement allows those changes. India MoD.

May 11/12: M777 approved. CNN-IBN reports that India’s MoD has cleared a Rs 3000 crore deal to buy 145 of BAE’s M777 ultra-light 155mm howitzers, as a government-to-government deal through US Foreign Military Sale channels.

They’re careful to note that this isn’t a contract yet, which may explain the absence of any announcement from BAE. At current conversion rates, the deal would be worth around $557 million, but exchange rates may change when and if negotiations produce an actual contract. CNN-IBN | India Defence.

March 5/12: 10-Year Blacklist. India’s MoD debars Singapore’s ST Kinetics, Israel Military Industries Ltd., Rheinmetall Air Defence, Corporation Defence Russia (CDR), and Indian firms TS Kisan & Co. Pvt. Ltd. and RK Machine Tools Ltd. The firms are prohibited “from further business dealings with the Ordnance Factory Board, Department of Defence Production, MoD, for a period of ten years.”

India’s MoD says that the debarments took place based on CBI evidence re: former Director General of Ordnance Factories Shri Sudipto Ghosh’s bribery case, and after the firms were issued notice to show cause. IMI and Rheinmetall have made no public comment yet, but ST Kinetics is angry, and says more or less that India’s MoD is lying:

“Since 2009, we have offered the authorities full cooperation and assistance as appropriate to clear our name. We had even offered on several occasions to open our account books for inspection by the Indian authorities but these offers were never taken up by them… To seek clarification on the alleged blacklisting and to protest against the arbitrary suspension of ST Kinetics’ defence business activities, we have filed three petitions with the Delhi High Court. The petitions were accepted by the Delhi High Court in March 2011. In all the court hearings and its affidavits filed, the MoD repeatedly stated that ST Kinetics is not blacklisted, and that the “putting on hold” of ST Kinetics’ defence business activities is but an interim arrangement only.

With this latest ruling by the MoD, we will seek legal advice and we intend to vigorously take appropriate actions to clear our name and defend our reputation… As a responsible public listed company, we abide by all laws and regulations stipulated by the local government and we engage fully in good corporate governance practices.”

MoD blacklists – but on what grounds?

January 2012: India Strategic sums things up, by quoting Chief of Army Staff Gen VK Singh:

“The procurement game is a version of snakes and ladders where there is no ladder but only snakes, and if the snakes bite you somewhere, the whole thing comes back to zero,” he said adding that he was hopeful of some guns to be cleared for acquisition shortly. It was 25 years ago that the Indian Army had acquired Bofors guns from Sweden… The gun had come with designs for production in India, with the much-needed Transfer of Technology, but its production was never undertaken by the designated public sector body, the Ordnance Factory Board… Bofors has since been sold several times to US and British companies. There has also been a proposal to acquire 145 ultra light howitzers M777 from the BAE Systems’s US arm. But it is also stuck somewhere.”

As the Hindustan Times notes, at least 3 of the few foreign vendors that make artillery systems are on the MoD’s blacklist, over allegations that don’t seem to get resolved in any timely way. This is true, but Israel’s IMI makes rocket artillery and shell charges. Only Singapore’s ST Kinetics and Germany’s Rheinmetall would matter for these competitions, though it’s worth noting that their absence has already derailed 2 artillery programs. The newspaper also cites Brig. Gurmeet Kanwal (ret.) of The Centre for Land Warfare Studies think tank, as one voice beginning to make the argument that blacklisting is a failure, and arguing that other approaches are needed.

Dec 12/11: Why so late? A Parliamentary question about India’s howitzer plans gets an answer from the defence minister, which is informative but not encouraging. Basically, India’s bureaucracy has had almost 2 years to get its act together on trials, and has not:

“Ultra Light Howitzer is amongst the equipment that is included in the Artillery Profile 2027 prepared by the Artillery Directorate of Army, The procurement on Single Vendor basis from M/s ST Kinetics, Singapore is sub-judice [DID: a legal case]. The option of procuring the equipment through US Government (FMS route) is also being pursued.

The field evaluation of Ultra Light Howitzer comprises three parts viz. user trials, DGQA trials and Maintainability trials. Out of these, only user trials of the gun proposed to be procured through US Government have been completed. The performance of the gun can be ascertained only after evaluation of all three trial reports.

The field evaluation trial report of the guns was a confidential document. Four pages of draft field trial report were received in an anonymous envelope by the Army Hqrs. An enquiry in the matter is underway. Detailed instructions exist about security of classified documents. Aberrations, if any, are dealt with as per the relevant rules.”

One wonders what the over/under odds would be in Vegas, on the subject of India actually having some new artillery pieces by 2027.

Nov 1/11: Wheeled cancellation. India’s MoD cancels the tender to purchase 180 wheeled 155/52mm howitzers, after complaints were made to Defence Minister A.K. Antony that a Zusana gun burst during 2010 trials last year. While Rheinmetall and Konstrukta were shortlisted after technical evaluations (Samsung was not), an MoD committee later concluded that the guns on offer were not in service anywhere, and as such were only prototypes. Which can happen, if your requirements force that. Indian Defence | Defense News.

Wheeled SPH canceled

Oct 15/11: You had WHAT all this time? The Times of India reports that India’s Ordnance Factory Board, whose leadership has been involved in bribery scandals that have derailed some of India’s attempted artillery buys (vid. July 7/10 entry), has been sitting on licensed design documents for India’s Bofors FH77 155mm gun. In other words, they had the full plans thanks to technology transfer and licensing agreements, but didn’t mention this, and didn’t produce the guns. Incompetent is the nicest adjective that can be used for this conduct.

“A senior official, not very amused at the turn of events, told TOI that they have now asked OFB to manufacture six prototypes of the Bofors artillery guns within the next 18 months. “If we had indigenous capability, then all these years of effort to buy foreign guns and such crippling shortage in capabilities wouldn’t have been there,” he said. A senior military source said the OFB has now been asked to manufacture two guns of the 155/39 mm caliber, the original make of the Bofors gun bought in the 80s. Two others would be of the same caliber but upgraded with new capabilities. The OFB has also been asked to make two guns of 155/45 mm caliber. All the six guns would be towed guns, sources said. Once they are ready, the Army would put them through extensive field trials and once cleared, OFB could then resort to mass production, one of the officials said.”

India OFB wins incompetence prize

June 29/11: DRDO DIY. India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has started developing an indigenous 155mm 52 caliber howitzer for the armed forces, with its Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune as the lead agency. DNA India.

May 18/11: M777. In “India’s consolation prize to US,” The Times of India reports that India is close to an M777 buy, pursued as government-to-government Foreign Military Sale. The Times of India reports that:

“…the Army has dispatched a team to the US to carry out quality assurance assessments of maintenance and other technical specifications of M777… Once the team returns, “it wouldn’t take much time to conclude the deal”, sources said, adding that a June-end deadline was being looked at. He also hinted that this order too could go up, now that the government is expected to approve Army’s recommendation to raise a dedicated mountain strike corps for China border.”

April 29/11: BAE out. BAE Systems opts out of India’s Jan 23/11 tender for 1,580 towed artillery guns. They seem to have tired of the headaches, and will settle for the limited M777 ultralight howitzer procurement conducted outside of India’s normal processes. Guy Douglas:

“While we are certain that the FH-77B05 is the most capable 52 calibre towed gun available, and it was specifically designed for and demonstrated to meet the Indian Army… the company will not submit a proposal… We found that the new RFP includes technical and performance relaxations that allow less capable weapon systems to enter the competition. This significantly reduces the competitive advantage FH-77B05 derives from its greater capability… the decision not to bid is a commercial one based on the high investment costs required to participate in a complex artillery competition of this nature, where the win probability has been reduced…”

The question is whether this will leave India facing a single-vendor situation again, which will force them to cancel a 5th time. The RFP was not sent to Singapore’s ST Kinetics, but it did go to firms in France, the US, Israel and the Czech Republic. The question is who will respond. See StratPost.

Jan 23/11: (5th) Towed RFP. After 4 failed attempts in the last 25 years, and no new gun inducted since the mid-1980s, the Army has issued a fresh global tender for over 400 towed artillery howitzers. PTI reports that the latest RFP was issued in the 3rd week of January, for over 400 guns from foreign vendors, and local production of over 1,000 guns in India.

The last tender was canceled after Singapore Technologies was blacklisted by the Defence Ministry, and BAE Systems was the only company left. PTI adds that “it is not yet clear as which firms other than BAE Systems have received the RFP this time,” especially given that key competitors like Denel are also on Indian blacklists. Meanwhile, a government-to-government effort to circumvent these roadblocks and buy 145 M777 ultra-lightweight howitzers “for use in mountainous regions” is “in an advanced stage of negotiations.” India Defence (PTI) | Deccan Herald | Silicon India || defpro on the Denel G6’s woes | Hindustan Times on the Bofors scandal’s long echo.

5th Towed Howitzer RFP

2009 – 2010

3rd time for wheeled howitzer RFP; Towed competition canceled for 4th time; Pegasus wins ultralight competition – then blacklisted; US DSCA request for BAE’s M777.

Bofors Archer System
(click to view full)

Sept 10/10: SPH. The Indian defense ministry is expected to issue its 3rd wheeled howitzer RFP, for 140 wheeled guns, by the end of September. BAE’s Archer apparently doesn’t fit the RFP criteria, which implies requirements that aren’t in line with global norms for the class. France’s Caesar is also unmentioned in this competition, leaving just Rheinmetall’s RWG-52 and Slovakia’s Zuzana as known contenders. Aviation Week.

July 27/10: Canceled again. India cancels towed artillery field trials, as it suspends its artillery competition yet again. The Bofors FH77B05, now owned by BAE Land Systems, and STK of Singapore’s IFH 2000 were the only 2 guns in the competition for the 155mm/52calibre howitzers. STK has been blacklisted due to its involvement in the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) scandal, leaving just one competitor. India’s government, burned by the Bofors allegations, then canceled the competition.

The Defence Ministry must now decide what to do next. A government-to-government Foreign Military Sale from the USa is one of the possibilities, in lieu of re-bidding the contract yet again. An Indian Army delegation reportedly visited the USA in January 2010, and the US government reportedly proposed 2 units for field trials and requested 84 rounds of Indian ammunition for that purpose. A draft Letter of Request is reportedly winding its way through India’s the Ministry of Defense to that end. AGE | India Defence Online | StratPost.

Towed cancellation #4

July 7/10: Blacklists, again. India’s CBI has asked the Defence Ministry to blacklist 6 firms for their alleged involvement in the Ordnance Factory Board graft scandal: Cooperation Defence in Russia, Singapore Technologies Kinetics (ST Kinetics), Israel Military Industries Ltd (IMI), Rheinmetall Air Defence (RAD) in Zurich, T S Kisan and companies Pvt Ltd in New Delhi, and R K Machines Tools Ltd in Ludhiana. If the Defence Ministry agrees, it would likely derail the self-propelled howitzer competition, where a different division of Rheinmetall is one of 2 finalists.

The move follows a 2,700-page chargesheet in a special CBI court against former Director General of Ordnance factory Board, Sudipta Ghosh and 11 others. The CBI alleges that Ghosh had entered into criminal conspiracy with other accused personnel, with the object of demanding and obtaining huge bribes in return for supply orders placed by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). Indian Express.

March 15/10: Still stalled. Indian Defence Minister Shri AK Antony responds to Shri Asaduddin Owaisi and others in Parliament:

“In March, 2008, the Government had issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for procurement of towed guns. The name of one of the firms participating in the said procurement case figured among the names of seven firms in the FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in May, 2009 in respect of various supply orders placed by Ordnance Factory Board. The procurement / acquisition cases in pipeline with any of the firms figuring in the said FIR were put on hold until further orders. Later, it was decided that multi-vendor procurement cases, presently held up at various stages of technical evaluation / trials, may be progressed further as per Defence Procurement Procedure – 2008. However, no tender will be awarded to the companies mentioned in the FIR unless CBI investigation clears them totally.

No towed guns / howitzers have been procured during the last three years. The proposals presently being processed include production of towed guns by Ordnance Factory Board under transfer of technology from the selected vendor. The procurement proceeds as per the provisions of the Defence Procurement Procedure 2008. The induction of the equipment, as and when it takes place, will enhance the firepower of the Indian Artillery.”

Feb 15/10: Towed. The Wall Street Journal reports that BAE Systems Ltd. expects to start trials in India for its FH77 B05 towed howitzer by early March. That’s a month or so behind the original February 2010 expectation for winter trials. The FH77 B05 would be manufactured and marketed in India by BAE’s joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

BAE also reportedly expects to start trials for the M777 ultra-light howitzer in India by the end of 2010. Speaking at DefExpo 2010 in New Delhi, BAE Systems India (Services) Pvt. Ltd. VP and General Manager Mark Simpkins reportedly said that the initial M77 order “is likely to be for 145 units, which could increase to 1,000 units in the future.”

Feb 15/10: SPH. As part of its DefExpo 2010 push, Rheinmetall Defence discusses its RWG-52 and RTG-52 candidates for India’s self-propelled programs.

Jan 28/10: M777. Indian sources tell DID that that the M777 request could also become an attempt to sidestep India’s paralyzing procurement bureaucracy. Single-vendor competitions are problematic when following India’s Defence Procurement Procedures (DPP), but can reportedly be used for government-to-government foreign military sales deals, per Section 71 of the DPP 2008:

“There may be occasions when procurements would have to be done from friendly foreign countries which may be necessitated due to geo-strategic advantages that are likely to accrue to our country. Such procurements would not classically follow the Standard Procurement Procedure and the Standard Contract Document but would be based on mutually agreed provisions by the Governments of both the countries.”

While ST Engineering’s Pegasus is still an ultra-light howitzer contender, the question is whether the legal steps required to make that deal would take too long – even though nothing has been proven concerning the firm’s conduct in India.

Jan 26/10: M777 request. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces [PDF] India’s formal request to buy 145 M777 155mm Light-Weight Towed Howitzers with Laser Inertial Artillery Pointing Systems (LINAPS), warranties, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, maintenance, personnel training and training equipment, and U.S. Government and contractor technical assistance and support.

The estimated cost is $647 million, but a DSCA announcement is not a contract. In this case, it may not even be an intended sale. DSCA requests can be issued as a way of ensuring that the way is clear for a contract, if a competition continues, and if that vendor requiring American arms export approvals turns out to be the winner.

If the 9,700 pound/ 4,400 kg, part-titanium M777 should bypass the competition altogether, or win a re-started competition against the likes of ST Kinetics’ Pegasus semi-mobile lightweight howitzer, the principal contractors will be BAE of Hattiesburg, MS; Watervliet Arsenal of Watervliet, NY; Seiler Instrument Company of St Louis, MO; Triumph Actuation Systems of Bloomfield, CT; Taylor Devices of North Tonawanda, NY; Hutchinson Industries of Trenton, NJ; and Selex in Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

Uncharacteristically for India, the DSCA says that there are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale – another sign that India’s DPP may be side-stepped. Implementation of this proposed sale will require annual trips to India involving up to 8 U.S. Government and contractor representatives for technical reviews/support, training, and in-country trials, over a period of approximately 2 years.

US DSCA: M777 request

Jan 22/10: ST Kinetics. Singapore’s ST Kinetics announces that it is keen to set up a manufacturing base in India, if it wins some of the 5 contracts it has bid for. The tenders comprise 2 artillery gun projects (ultra-light and towed howitzers), a light strike vehicle for the army, and 2 carbine rifle projects for internal security forces.

Jan 15/10: ST Kinetics speaks. Singapore’s ST Kinetics issues a release touting “the longest in-service 155 mm 52 Calibre towed Howitzer, the FH 2000,” which is expected to enter field trials in February 2010. It also says that:

“The company is hopeful that the stalled [Indian] trial of the 155 mm calibre 39 Pegasus Lightweight Howitzer (LWH) will also recommence very shortly… ST Kinetics plans to address India’s strategic needs and is fielding tailored solutions to meet the requirements of the modernisation programmes of the armed forces. These include the iFH2000 155mm 52 Calibre Howitzer for the Towed Gun requirement and the Pegasus 155mm 39 Calibre Lightweight Howitzer for the Ultra Lightweight Howitzer program. ST Kinetics has also offered the SAR 21 Carbine with its proven reliability and performance.

Speaking at the Press Conference, Brig Gen Patrick Choy, Chief Marketing Officer, said “…The company is respected for its integrity, transparency and high standards of corporate governance. [The Pegasus 155mm / 39 howitzer]… is already in India in Gwalior and is awaiting a call to trials.”

SLWH Pegasus

Nov 23/09: Blacklistings. India’s MoD publicly confirms the blacklisting and terms for all 7 firms mentioned in the Nov 12/09 Defense News report:

“In regard to the tender cases of procurement/execution, where the tender process has already been started and where the companies mentioned in the FIR are figuring, each case should be dealt as per the tender conditions, keeping in view of the FIR in question. No tender should be awarded to the companies mentioned in the FIR unless the CBI investigation clears them totally.”

Nov 12/09: Frozen again. Defense News reports that India’s artillery competition is frozen yet again. Singapore Technologies has been disqualified, and under India’s rules, competitions can’t proceed with just one qualified vendor.

In June 2009, corruption charges filed against the former director-general of India’s Ordnance Factory Board placed 7 firms on the “tainted” list, blacklisting them from defense contracts: Singapore Technologies, Israel’s IMI, Poland’s BVT, Singapore’s Media Architects, and India’s HYT Engg, T.S. Kishan and R.K. Machine Tools. The latest Indian MoD advisory will not allow them to participate in defense procurements, pending a full Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report.

Towed competition frozen, 7 firms blacklisted

Oct 7/09: Bofors. Indian Express reports that:

“The government may have decided to let Ottavio Quattrocchi off the hook, but the Bofors ghost continues to haunt the armed forces, with several key artillery modernisation programmes put in the limbo due to wrongdoing charges levelled against three major international manufacturers.”

March 12/09: Pegasus picked. The Singapore Straits Times reports that India has picked ST Kinetics’ “Pegasus” semi-mobile light howitzer for its $1 billion, 145-gun ultralight howitzer competition. At 5,000 kg/ 11,000 pounds, the 155mm/39 caliber Pegasus SLWH is not quite as light as BAE Systems’ M777. What it does have, is an unusual feature that allows the towed gun to be moved limited distances, at up to 12 km/h, under its own power. This is a very useful feature when trying to sidestep return fire cued by artillery tracking radars.

Unlike the 155/52 caliber competition for larger and heavier howitzers, the “ultralight” competition reportedly contains no clauses requiring manufacture in India.

Singapore was also sent an RFP for the 155/52 caliber competition, which the Straits-Times reports could involve up to 400 foreign-made and 1,180 domestically-produced howitzers. ST Kinetics’s other products include the 155/52 FH2000 towed field howitzer, and the Primus 155/39 caliber 28.5-ton tracked self-propelled howitzer. Singapore Straits-Times.

Towed guns: Singapore’s Pegasus picked

Jan 14/09: An anonymous Army official tells Indian reporters that:

“The procurement process for the towed and light howitzer is proceeding as planned. Bids have been received from all the vendors and trials of the guns are planned in February or March [of 2009]… The trials for self-propelled howitzers are planned in May-June [2009].”

According to the IANS report, the initial contract involves 180 guns, but the eventual contract is to include up to 400 guns, thanks to transfer of technology to build the howitzers in India. Of these, 140 will be light howitzers that will be spread over 7 regiments. They will still be 155/52 caliber, just lighter thanks to advances in metallurgy and design. The remaining 260 guns will be towed and self-propelled variants. IANS via India Defence | Hindustan Times.

2007 and Earlier

Denel’s blacklisting kills tracked Bhim SPH; 2nd wheeled & tracked howitzer RFPs issued.

G6 Base, Bleeding?

April 4/07: SPH Re-tender. The Calcutta Telegraph reports that India has reopened its artillery competitions entirely, refloating 2 global RFPs to 12 makers of 155mm/52 calibre self-propelled guns. The Indian Army reportedly proposes to buy 400 systems at the outset: 180 tracked and 220 wheeled.

The first new tender was for wheeled guns, with an RFP floated in early March 2007. The second tender for tracked guns was floated at the end of the month. Expected competitors include BAE Land Systems USA (M109A6 Paladin possible for tracked), BAE Bofors (FH77B towed, Archer wheeled), France’s Nexter (Caesar wheeled), Rheinmetall (Zuzana wheeled from Kerametal in Slovakia, possibly PzH-2000 for tracked), Korea’s Samsung Techwin (K9 for tracked), and Israel’s Soltam (Atmos 2000 for wheeled, Rascal for tracked).

In making its decision to re-float the RFP, the cabinet committee on security reportedly concluded that:

• A single-vendor situation must be avoided;
  
• South Africa’s Denel had emerged as the single vendor for the tracked version, but they were blacklisted in 2005 on another deal;
  
• The process delays of 5 years since the first tender have been so great that the field as a whole has advanced since then;
  
• The standards for the selection of the guns need to be revised; and
  
• India’s defence procurement policy has been revised in the interim, and the RFP should reflect that.

Self-propelled howitzers RFP v2.0

Jan 16/06: A new scandal is swirling around re-opened allegations of kick-backs involving Bofors, and complicity by the current government in covering them up.

Jan 13/06: New trials. The Press Trust of India (PTI) reports that Army Chief General J J Singh has ordered a 4th round of extensive trials for the guns, in which only the Bofors and Soltam guns will be taking part. He said the two contending 155mm/52 caliber guns would be evaluated through summer and winter trials, with the winner inducted by 2007.

DID thought that was a bit optimistic…

Jan 12/06: BMCS RFP. The Times of India reports that India’s UPA government has floated new global tenders for collaboration in the Nalanda ordnance factory project to manufacture 155mm Bi-Modular Charge Systems (BMCS) for India’s artillery. See this link from BAE’s SWS Defence for a more in-depth look at a particular BMCS solution.

South Africa’s Denel had been picked, but the blacklisting stemming from the anti-material rifles’ deal is having further ripple effects. The winner of this competition will be well positioned for any follow-on orders involving India’s new howitzers.

July 28/05: Denel blacklisted. South African competitor Denel is blacklisted from Indian defense contracts by the Ministry of Defence, as a result of the CBI’s bribery investigation.

Denel blacklisted

June 15/04: Madison Government Affairs, summarizing Defense News:

“The Indian Army will choose among three foreign contenders for a $2 billion purchase of about 400 155mm self-propelled howitzers after field trials in the Rajasthan desert later this month, an Indian Defence Ministry official said. The candidates are the Swedish SWS Defense AB FH77B05 L52, the Israeli Soltam TIG 2002 and the South African Denel G5/2000 gun. All three failed to meet India’s accuracy specifications in last year’s trials; all three improved their guns to compete again this year, said an Indian Army official from the artillery directorate”

Additional Readings

• India MoD, via Slideshare – Defence Procurement Procedure 2013: Capital Procurement

• Indian MoD (June 1/13) – Salient Features of Defence Procurement Procedure- 2013.

Towed Guns

• Bharat Rakshak – 155mm BOFORS FH-77B.

• DID – M777: He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Howitzer. An alternative from BAE Systems for the towed segment.

• Soltam Systems – Athos [PDF]. Towed 155mm howitzer.

Self-Propelled Guns

• DID – Sweden, Norway to Cooperate on Archer Artillery Project. Uses the FH-77.

• Army Technology – Caesar 155mm Self-Propelled Artillery System, France (Nexter).

• Global Security – 152mm ShKH Dana vz.77 (ZTS).

• Denel Land Systems – G6 SP Gun Howitzer and T5-52 Truck-Mounted gun Howitzer.

• GlobalSecurity – K9 155mm self-propelled howitzer (Samsung Techwin).

• DID (Oct 30/05) – Singapore Unveils New Air-Portable, Semi-Mobile 155mm Pegasus Howitzer.

• Army Technology – Soltam’s Atmos towed/truck-mounted howitzer, and tracked Rascal systems.

• Rheinmetall Defence – RWG-52 and RTG-52 for India’s artillery modernization programme.

News & Views

• The Hindu (Aug 20/14) – Feeble fire in the big guns.

• Force India (April 2012) – Stuck in the Stack: Indian Artillery marred by the S factor, stagnation and scandal.

Americas

BAE Systems won a $23.9 million contract modification for post-shakedown-availability (PSA) of the Arleigh Burke Class destroyer USS Paul Ignatius. The post-shakedown-availability is accomplished within a period of approximately 16 weeks between the time of ship custody transfer to the Navy and the shipbuilding and conversion obligation work limiting date. The PSA comprises all of the manpower, support services, material, non-standard equipment and associated technical data and documentation required to prepare for and accomplish the PSA. Work will include correction of government responsible trial card deficiencies, new work identified between custody transfer and the time of PSA, and incorporation of engineering changes not incorporated during the construction period, which are not otherwise the building yard’s responsibility under the ship construction contract. Huntington Ingalls delivered the USS Paul Ignatius to the US Navy during a ceremony on February 25. It is the 67th ship in its class and and is scheduled to sail away from the shipyard in June. BAE Systems will perform work in Jacksonville, Florida, and the expected completion date is in May 2020.

The US Navy awarded Raytheon a $19 million modification for engineering and technical services on the Standard Missile-2 and Standard Missile-6. The SM-2 missile provides anti-air warfare and limited anti-surface warfare capability against advanced anti-ship missiles and aircraft out to 90 nautical miles. According to Raytheon, the SM-6 is the only missile considered a “triple threat,” with anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare and sea-based terminal ballistic missile defense enabling the US and its allies to cost-effectively increase the offensive might of surface forces. The missiles are deployed on cruisers and destroyers in the US Navy, as well as by international customers approved by the Defense Department. The combined contract is 90 percent for the Navy, with the rest under Foreign Military Sales for Australia, Germany, Denmark, Korea and Japan. Work will take pace in Tucson, Arizona and is scheduled to be completed by April 2020.

Middle East & Africa

According to local reports, the Israeli Defense Forces conducted a training exercise that involved the Patriot and the Iron Dome missile defense systems. Israel Air Force aerial defense personnel conducted interceptions of targets at various heights and distances. The drill was carried out at a base in central Israel and included a range of scenarios in order to test the capabilities of the Israel Air Force’s air defense fighters and technicians and their missile systems. Several missiles were launched against a combination of drones and unmanned aerial vehicles. Military delegations from the US and Greece attended and observed the trial and were able to draw conclusions from its results.

Europe

MBDA together with the UK’s Ministry of Defense presented details on the development of the SPEAR-EW and SPEAR-Glide, Jane’s reports. They are prospective air-launched missile variants evolved from MBDA’s baseline SPEAR stand-off, air-to-surface developmental weapon system. SPEAR is a long-range missile powered by a Pratt & Whitney TJ-130 turbojet engine with a range of over 140 km. It is the MBDA’s solution for the UK Ministry of Defense’s 100 kg class Selective Precision Effects At Range Capability 3 (SPEAR Cap 3) requirement. The weapon is supposed to be used within the internal weapons bay of the UK Royal Air Force and Royal Navy F-35 Lightning multirole stealth aircraft. Integration of SPEAR onto the Eurofighter Typhoon is also a program of record for the RAF.

Ukrainian Company Kyiv Armored Plant has developed a new wheeled command post armored vehicle called BTR-3KS, based on a BTR-3 wheeled APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) chassis. Kyiv Armored Plant is part of the State Company Ukroboronprom. The new command vehicle is fully equipped with modern battle management system, secure digital communication system coupled to tactical computer and network. The vehicle has also its own unmanned aerial systems that can be used to perform reconnaissance missions. This UAV is attached to the right side of the tank when it is not in use. Ukroboronprom claims that this battle management system can combine and process all information transmitted from command stations, combat vehicles, counter-battery radars, and unmanned aerial vehicles via secured digital communications regarding the location of divisions and targets.

Asia-Pacific

The Indian Air Force (IAF) inaugurated a repair and overhaul facility for its fleet of Russian-made Mil Mi-17 V5 ‘Hip’ medium-lift helicopters on April 17 at Chandigarh, north of New Delhi. Local reports say that the new facility comes in a boost to India’s self-sufficiency in carrying out defense repairs. The new facility will help repair Mi-17 V5 helicopter airframes and their aero engines. The Mil Mi-17 V5 is one of the world’s most advanced helicopters. It is designed to transport cargo inside the cabin and on an external sling. It can also be deployed in troop and arms transport, fire support, convoy escort, patrol, and search-and-rescue missions. India had acquired 151 twin-engine Mi-17-V5s between 2008 and 2016 for $2.87 billion.

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Americas

The Navy awarded $33.4 million to Raytheon to supply the Naval Warfare Center in Philadelphia with up to 28 electronic throttle control units (ETCU) and auxiliary components in support of the Virginia Class program. The deal has Raytheon provide replacement ETCU hardware, which is currently obsolete and can no longer be efficiently supported. The Virginia Class are attack submarines. The Navy’s newest undersea warfare platform is designed to seek and destroy enemy subs as well as surface ships. Virginia Class boats can carry up to 24 torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles. They can be deployed for a wide range of operations including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations forces support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare, and mine warfare missions. According to the DoD, the proposed contract includes the hardware fabrication for new construction platforms and all back-fit systems to mitigate parts obsolescence, update and maintain the ETCU technical data package, and design verification testing on limited production units for quality assurance. Work is scheduled to be completed by April 2024.

BAE Systems won an $8.1 million contract modification from the Navy for USS Wichita (LCS 13) post-shakedown availability (PSA). The Wichita is a Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ship. The 378-foot highly maneuverable lightweight combatant features a steel monohull with a draft of only 13 feet allowing access to more ports and locations than other ship designs. LCS warships are designed to perform humanitarian aid and rescue, anti-submarine warfare, minesweeping, defending against piracy and drug trafficking, small assault transport and deterrence, while operating in shallow coastal waters known as the littorals. The Navy commissioned the ship in January this year. The PSA encompasses all of the manpower, support services, material, non-standard equipment and associated technical data and documentation required to prepare for and accomplish the PSA. The work to be performed will include correction of government-responsible trial card deficiencies, new work identified between custody transfer and the time of PSA and incorporation of approved engineering changes that were not incorporated during the construction period. BAE Systems will perform work in Jacksonville, Florida, and is expecting to be finished by March 2020.

Middle East & Africa

The US Navy contracted Al Qabandi United with $30 million for vehicle lease services. According to the DoD, the deal provides for non-tactical vehicles for transportation purposes in support of the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait as well as surrounding tenant units. Al Qabandi United Company is a private General Trading, Supplying, and Contracting firm established in 1993. The company will perform work at the Ali Al Salem Air Base. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $16,000 are being obligated on a task order at the time of award.

Raytheon won $47.4 million from the US Navy to procure 62 LAU-115 and 68 LAU-116 guided missile launchers for the government of Kuwait to enable the F/A-18 aircraft to carry and launch AIM-120 and AIM-9X missiles. This deal also includes 99 LAU-115 and 100 LAU-116 guided missile launchers for the US Navy. The LAU-115 and LAU-116 provide the structural and electrical interfaces that allow the F/A-18 aircraft to carry and launch missiles such as Sparrow, Sidewinder and the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). The LAU-115 are rail launchers designed for carry and launch AIM-7 missiles from the F/A-18 aircraft. The launcher is suspended from the BRU-32 bomb rack on wing stations. The LAU-7 launchers or LAU-127 launchers may be attached to the sides of the LAU-115 to carry AIM-9 or AIM-120 missiles. The LAU-116 provides for the launch of the AIM-7 series Sparrow missile from the F/A-18A aircraft. The LAU-116A/A is also capable of launching the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. Two launchers, one on the left hand and one on the right hand, are installed in the underside of the aircraft fuselage at stations 4 and 6.

The US Air Force awarded Textron Aviation Defense a $15.4 million modification for the completion of the reconstitution of 15 T-6A aircraft. According to the DoD, the deal provides for a schedule extension to complete the reconstitution of 15 T-6A aircraft and procure cartridge actuated devices and propellant actuated devices. The contract is a Foreign Military Sale to Iraq. The T-6A military trainer provides performance and handling characteristics that will safely lead the student from ab-initio through primary and well into advanced training curricula. The Iraqi Air Force awarded HBC with a contract for eight T-6A trainers in August 2009. A second contract for seven more was awarded in September 2009, bringing the total to 15. The first four T-6A trainers were delivered to Iraqi Air Force in December 2009.

Europe

Thales announced that Switzerland selected the company for an Image Intelligence System. Thales will supply elements of an Image Intelligence (IMINT) Center built around the Thales MINDS / SAIM system. The MINDS / SAIM platform is designed to digitally process real-time data feeds from all types of sensors using advanced processing tools to address issues arising from the volume of data and diversity of sources. According to Thales, MINDS / SAIM will enable the Swiss Armed Forces to precisely target the data they need to process and to identify threats, thanks to a set of highly sophisticated tools based on AI and other technologies. MINDS (Multisensor image Interpretation and Dissemination System) is described by Thales as a combat-proven solution providing real-time digital acquisition and processing of raw data from all EO/IR sensors including wet films, SAR and MTI radars. Deliveries of the Image Intelligence System will begin in early 2020.

Asia-Pacific

The State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Japan regarding 56 Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB missiles for an estimated cost of $1.2 billion. Also included are missile canisters, US Government and contractor representatives’ technical assistance, engineering and logistical support services as well as other related elements of logistics and program support. Prime Contractor for the Missile System will be Raytheon. For the canisters BAE Systems will be the prime contractor. The supersonic SM-3 Block IB interceptor is an upgraded variant of the original SM-3 missile fitted with an enhanced two-color infrared seeker and features an upgraded steering and propulsion capability. The SM-3 Block IB, first flight tested in 2011, is designed to destroy incoming short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile targets in midcourse. The weapon system became first operational with the Navy in 2014.

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Virginia Block I-II
(click for SuperSize)

“GDEB Receives $148M as Virginia Class Lead Yard” described changes to the Virginia Class submarine’s design that are expected to reach 20% of the $200 million savings goal by the time orders for the versatile sea attack/ land attack/ special forces submarines rise to 2 per year, in 2012.

The bow changes cover the FY 2009-2013 ships, referred to as Block III. SSN 774 Virginia – SSN 777 North Carolina are Block I, and SSNs 778-783 will be Block II. Block III begins with the 11th ship of class, SSN 784. Long lead time component orders began May 22/08, and the submarine is expected to be ready for delivery around 2015. A fuller explanation of Block III’s extensive bow changes, and an accompanying graphic, may be found below – along with contract updates that include additional improvements and sonar development.

The Virginia Class Program: “2 for 4 in 12”

SSN 777 costruction
(click to view full)

The SSN-774 Virginia Class submarine was introduced in the 1990s as a Clinton-era reform that was intended to take some of the SSN-21 Seawolf Class’ key design and technology advances, and place them in a smaller, less heavily-armed, and less expensive platform. The resulting submarine would have learned some of the Seawolf program’s negative procurement lessons, while performing capably in land attack, naval attack, special forces, and shallow water roles. In the end, the Seawolf Class became a technology demonstrator program that was canceled at 3 ships, and the Virginia Class became the naval successor to America’s famed SSN-688 Los Angeles Class.

The Virginia Class program was supposed to reach 2 submarines per year by 2002, removing it from the unusual joint construction approach between General Dynamics Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding – but that goal has been pushed back to 2012 in progressive planning budgets.

In FY 2005 dollars, SSN-21 submarines cost between $3.1-3.5 billion each. According to Congressional Research Service report #RL32418, and the Navy is working toward a goal of shaving FY05$ 400 million from the cost of each Virginia Class boat, and buying 2 boats in FY2012 for combined cost of $4.0 billion in FY 2005 dollars – a goal referred to as “2 for 4 in 12”. In real dollars subject to inflation, that means about $2.6 billion per sub in 2012, and $2.7 billion in 2013. The Navy believes that moving from the current joint construction arrangement will shave FY05$ 200 million from the cost of each submarine, leaving another FY05$ 200 million (about $220 million) to be saved through ship design and related changes.

Block III: The Changes

Block III bow mods
(click to view full)

The most obvious change is the switch from 12 vertical launch tubes, to 12 missiles in 2 tubes that use technology from the Ohio Class special forces/ strike SSGN program. The Virginia’s hull has a smaller cross-section than the converted ballistic missile SSGNs, so the “6-shooters” will be shorter and a bit wider. Nevertheless, they will share a great deal of common technology, allowing innovations on either platform to be incorporated into the other submarine class during major maintenance milestones. Net savings are about $8 million to program baseline costs.

The other big change you can see in the above diagram is switching from an air-backed sonar sphere to a water-backed Large Aperture Bow (LAB) array. Eliminating the hundreds of SUBSAFE penetrations that help maintain required pressure in the air-backed sonar sphere will save approximately $11 million per hull, and begins with the FY 2012 boats (SSNs 787-788).

The LAB Array has 2 primary components: the passive array, which will provide improved performance, and a medium-frequency active array. It utilizes transducers from the SSN-21 Seawolf Class that are that are designed to last the life of the hull. This is rather par for the course, as the Virginia Class’ was created in the 1990s to incorporate key elements of the $4 billion Seawolf Class submarine technologies into a cheaper boat.

The SUBSAFE eliminations, plus the life-of-the-hull transducers, will help to reduce the submarines’ life cycle costs as well by removing moving parts that require maintenance, eliminating possible points of failure and repair, and removing the need for transducer replacements in drydock.

The bow redesign is not limited to these changes, however, and includes 25 associated redesign efforts. These are estimated to reduce construction costs by another $20 million per hull beginning with the FY 2012 submarine.

With the $19 million ($11 + 8) from the LAB array and Vertical Payload, and the $20 million from the associated changes, General Dynamics is $39 million toward the $200 million baseline costs goal of “2 for 4 in 12”. While the changes themselves will begin with the FY 2009 ship, the savings are targeted at FY 2012 because of the learning curve required as part of the switch. Recent discussions concerning an earlier shift to 2 submarines per year would result in faster production of the Block III submarines, but would be unlikely to make a huge difference to that learning curve.

Contracts and Key Events

Tomahawk launched

April 11/19: ETCU The Navy awarded $33.4 million to Raytheon to supply the Naval Warfare Center in Philadelphia with up to 28 electronic throttle control units (ETCU) and auxiliary components in support of the Virginia Class program. The deal has Raytheon provide replacement ETCU hardware, which is currently obsolete and can no longer be efficiently supported. The Virginia Class are attack submarines. The Navy’s newest undersea warfare platform is designed to seek and destroy enemy subs as well as surface ships. Virginia Class boats can carry up to 24 torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles. They can be deployed for a wide range of operations including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations forces support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare, and mine warfare missions. According to the DoD, the proposed contract includes the hardware fabrication for new construction platforms and all back-fit systems to mitigate parts obsolescence, update and maintain the ETCU technical data package, and design verification testing on limited production units for quality assurance. Work is scheduled to be completed by April 2024.

March 20/19: Long Lead Time Material The US Navy awarded General Dynamics a $2 billion contract modification to provide additional materials required to build the Virginia Class submarines from fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2023. The deal includes additional Long Lead Time Material and Economic Ordering Quantity items for SSN-802 to SSN-811 underwater vessels. The SSNs 802 -811 Virginia Class submarine hull numbers have not been named yet. The Virginia Class is the Navy’s newest undersea warfare platform. Attack submarines are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships, project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Special Operation Forces, carry out Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, support battle group operations, and engage in mine warfare. The modification falls under a previously awarded sole-source contract. General Dynamics is the lead contractor of the Virginia Class submarine program. In February 2017, General Dynamics won an initial $126.5 million contract by the US Navy for long lead time material for the first two Block V Virginia Class submarines, SSN-802 and SSN-803. The Block V submarines built from 2019 onward will have an additional Virginia Payload Module (VPM) mid-body section, increasing their overall length. Work under the contract modification will take place within the USA.

February 27/19: Universal Modular Mast The US Navy awarded L-3 KEO a $19.3 million contract modification for the production of the Universal Modular Mast, which serves as a lifting mechanism for the Virginia class mast payloads. The Universal Modular Mast is standard equipment for above-water sensors on U.S. and international submarines. It is a non-hull penetrating mast for Navy Virginia-class fast-attack submarines and Ohio-class guided missile submarines that can host five different sensor configurations: the photonics mast, the multi-function mast, the integrated electronic mast, the high-data-rate-mast, and the photonics mast variant. The Virginia class or SSN-774 class are nuclear powered fast attack submarines. The submarines form the Navy’s new undersea warfare platform designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships as well as project power ashore. Work under the contract will take place in Italy as well as Massachusetts and is scheduled to be finished by August 2021.

April 02/18: Post-delivery work General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp, is being contracted for the provision of post-delivery work on the USS Colorado (SSN 788). The awarded contract is valued at over $14 million. The USS Colorado is the 15th Virginia Class submarine delivered to the US Navy. She was delivered on September 21, 2017 and was commissioned on March 17, 2018. The SSN 788 is part of a 5-year, $17 billion deal to strengthen the USA’s nuclear submarine fleet. The SSN 788 belongs to Block III submarines that took a big step forward by replacing the 12 vertical launch tubes with a more flexible “6-shooter” approach, and swapping a water-backed, horseshoe-shaped LAB sonar array for the existing air-backed spherical array. Electric Boat Corp. will perform planning and execution efforts, including long lead time material procurement, in preparation to accomplish the maintenance, repair, alterations, testing, and other work on USS Colorado. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut and is expected to be completed by September 2018.

Jan 5/09: Goodrich in Charlotte, NC received a $49 million contract from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding to provide composite components for the next 8 Virginia Class nuclear fast attack submarines referred to as Block III.

Goodrich’s Engineered Polymer Products team in Jacksonville, FL is building components to support the construction of 1 ship per year in 2009 and 2010, rising to 2 ships per year from 2011 through 2013. The components include the bow dome, and sonar and weapons equipment.

Dec 22/08: The US Navy signals its a href=”/Early-Xmas-Big-Virginia-Contracts-for-GDEB-NGC-05218/”>approval of the Virginia Class’ progress, and of the new Block III design, with a $14.011 billion contract to fund 8 Virginia Class block III submarines. Work on these boats will run until 2019.

Dec 12/08: General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp. in Groton, CT received a $16.8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee material order to fund the Block III Common Weapon Launcher (CWL) design, and includes the total scope associated with the vendor portion of the inboard electronics design as well as the scope required for in-house (Electric Boat) tasks. The CWL will sit in the Block III bow’s “six shooter” holes, and is so named because that space can be used to launch a wide variety of items besides UGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles; aerial UAVs and underwater UUVs are the most obvious.

GDEB services will include engineering support, Engineering Development Model (EDM) hardware, continued development of the CWL for use with SSN 784 VPT, development of interface documents, and defining changes to support interfaces to the Weapon Control and Payload Tube Control Panels. Work will be performed in Manassas, VA, and is expected to be complete by 2013. This contract was not competitively procured by the supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair in Groton CT (N00024-09-C-2101).

Dec 12/08: Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors in Manassas, VA received a $38.3 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-04-C-6207) for engineering services in support of the Acoustic – Rapid Commercial off The Shelf (A-RCI) program. The 550,000 additional engineering services hours will be used on TacLAN tasking related to Special Operations support, and to complete the new “BSY-2 Wrap Around Antenna (WAA),” which is listed as being a Virginia Class sonar.

DID requested clarification, and got it. BSY-2 is a Seawolf class system only. WAA is the Wide Aperture Array, and on the SSN-774 Virginia Class it evolved to the L-WAA (Lightweight Wide Aperture Array). The Virginia Class Block III bow has been redesigned to save money beginning with SSN 784; it will use the Large Aperture Bow (LAB) Array.

It turns out that the DefenseLINK release should read “technology insertions for the USS Jimmy Carter’s [SSN 23 Seawolf Class] BSY-2 WAA, and USS North Carolina [SSN 777 Virginia Class] LWAA TI-08 integration.” The exact work involved is technology insertion, integration, and modernization on USS Jimmy Carter and USS North Carolina, as well as the completion of the existing TI-08 effort and the Virginia Class Block III TI-10 Large Aperture Bow (LAB) Array effort for SSN 784.

Work will be performed in Manassas, VA (90%) and Syracuse, NY (10%) and is expected to be complete by June 2009. This contract was not competitively procured by US Naval Sea Systems Command.

Nov 5/08: The Virginia Class nuclear fast attack submarine Program Office Virginia Class Sub Program Wins Acquisition Awardreceives the 2008 David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award during a ceremony at Fort Belvoir, VA. This marks the third time (1996, 1998, 2008) that the Virginia Class Program Office has earned the award. The Virginia Class Program was recognized for excelling in 4 specific areas: reducing life-cycle costs; making the acquisition system more efficient, responsive, and timely; integrating defense with the commercial base and practices; and promoting continuous improvement of the acquisition process.

Americas

The Air Force awarded Boeing a $91.3 million contract modification for a super high-speed computer intended to improve the F-15’s electronics warfare capability. The modification provides for the production and integration of the Advanced Display Core Processor II (ADCPII) boxes into the F-15 platform. The ADCP II is also known as Suite 9. According to Boeing, it is the world’s fastest flight mission computer, capable of processing up to 87 billion instructions per second. In 2016, the F-15E tested the flight computer during a flight on July 8 at Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base. The ADCP II is part of a wider $12 billion modernization program taking place across the range of Eagle types being flown in the USAF inventory. The F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft. It is the Air Force’s primary fighter jet aircraft and intercept platform. The Eagle’s air superiority is achieved through a mixture of unprecedented maneuverability and acceleration, range, weapons and avionics.

DRS Laurel Technologies won a $53.7 million supply contract in support of the guided-missile destroyer (DDG) modernization program. The deal includes cost reimbursable services for the repair station console (RSC). According to the DoD, the RSC installation is accomplished in whole or in phases that minimize interruption in ship operating schedules while maximizing the capacity of type Commander and Naval Sea System Command agencies to upgrade and modernize hull, mechanical as well as electrical and electronic systems. DRS Laurel will deliver supplies to various Navy bases, shipyards, repair and contractor facilities. The DDG program commenced with the USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) in mid-2010, to provide comprehensive mid-life upgrades that will ensure Arleigh Burke class ships maintain mission relevance. With an expected life of 35 years or more, the sustained maintenance and modernization of these ships is crucial to their continued role as an essential component of surface warfare. The Navy modernization program provides a full spectrum of technical support encompassing all phases of the alteration/installation process. DRS Laurel Technologies will perform in Virginia and various other places and expects to be finished by April 2024.

The Navy contracted Hamilton Sundstrand with $11.1 million for repair of the processor signal utilized on the Super Hornets. The F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III or Advanced Super Hornet is the newest highly capable, affordable and available tactical aircraft manufactured by Boeing. The Super Hornet Block III comes equipped with Distributing Targeting Processor Network (DTP-N) and Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT). These are a computer and a big data platform that work together to aid in even more efficient movement and management of data within assets. The Block IIIs sensors along with the APG-79 AESA Radar coupled to DTP-N and TTNT systems plots information on the Advances Cockpit System making it easy for aircrews to view and manage information. A key capability of the aircraft is the installation of the Raytheon AN/APG-79 multimode AESA tactical radar which has passive detection, active radar suppression modes of operation to provide air-to-air, air to ground, targeting, tracking and self-protection. This radar provides critically important data. Work will take place in Windsor Locks, Connecticut and is scheduled to be completed by April 2024.

Middle East & Africa

Local media reports that the French Army started to withdraw its troops from Iraq. According to officials, the French artillery group, which was deployed on the Iraqi-Syrian border against the Islamic State (IS) group, has completed its mission. The 150-strong Task Force Wagram, an artillery battle group armed with three Caesar 155 mm howitzers, was deployed in Iraq since September 2016 alongside the anti-jihadist coalition. French Army Caesars participated in the liberation of the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Qayarah Forward Base. They then were deployed along the Iraqi-Syrian border, near the Iraqi city of al-Qaim, in support of the Syrian Democratic Forces (FDS).

Europe

Finland shortlisted Saab as a Combat System provider for the Finnish Squadron 2020 program. The potential contract would have Saab provide and integrate the Finnish Navy’s four new Pohjanmaa Class corvettes within the Squadron 2020 program. The program is a project by the Finnish Navy. Its aim is to replace the seven vessels the Navy will decommission. Four modern corvettes will be procured to replace the vessels to be decommissioned. All of the Finnish Navy’s current vessels feature at least one system from Saab, with the majority of vessels operating several systems from Saab. According to the company, Saab has not yet signed any contract or received an order relating to Squadron 2020.

Asia-Pacific

Thales announced, that the company together with the Kalyani Group have formalized a new collaboration for the design, development and manufacture of next generation weapons systems for the Defense and Law Enforcement sectors in India and abroad. The two companies have inked an agreement for the joint venture. According to the company, the collaboration will leverage Thales’s more than 100 years of experience in the design, development and manufacture of the world’s leading defense systems. The agreement was signed onboard the HMAS Canberra.

The Australian Army successfully tested its new Sensor-fused Munition for Artillery (SMArt) 155mm round. The projectile was tested during Exercise Chimera, conducted on 24 and 25 March, at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area near Rockhampton, Queensland. The SMArt 155 is a fire and forget artillery round that is very effective in GPS denied environments and against targets with large target location errors (TLE). It uses high performance explosively formed penetrator (EFP) technology and a multi-mode sensor suite to provide predictable and precise lethal areas of effects in all weather and environments. According to the Australian Department of Defense, the SMArt 155 projectile will provide the army with the ability to effectively engage and destroy heavy armored fighting vehicles, such as main battle tanks, at operationally significant ranges, in all weather and terrain.

Today’s Video

Watch: China Third aircraft carrier taking shape in Shanghai

Americas

Leidos won a $19.4 million ceiling cost-reimbursement contract for system integration and field testing of a laser weapon system at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. Specifically, the deal is for the advancement of laser weapon system technology through research and development of systems as well as evaluating performance in relevant operational environments. The Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate at Kirtland Air Base develops technologies in laser systems, high power electromagnetics, weapons modeling and simulation as well as directed energy and electro-optics for space superiority. With its laser programs the lab is trying to achieve a laser weapon system that can operate in all flight regimes against targets that are approaching at supersonic speeds, which must be intercepted at significant range, according to a report. By 2021, the Air Force plans to test laser weapons from fighter jets to destroy high-value targets, conduct precision strikes and incinerate enemy locations from the sky. Work is scheduled to be finished by April 2022.

Lockheed Martin contracted Saab to deliver Sea Giraffe AMB 3-D surveillance radars to the Royal Canadian Navy’s two new Protecteur Class Joint Support Ships. According to a press release by Saab, the Sea Giraffe AMB will form part of the command management system for the new ships. The Sea Giraffe Agile Multi Beam (AMB) is a C-band maritime 3D mid-range multifunction radar. The radar provides airspace reconnaissance and simultaneous target tracking, weapon system targeting and high-resolution navigation. The Sea Giraffe AMB has been optimized for use on the Swedish Visby Class corvettes and the Independence Class US Coast Guard. The AMB contains a number of independent elevation-angle antenna beams. Saab will perform work in Gothenburg, Sweden and Halifax, Canada with deliveries scheduled between 2020 and 2022.

Middle East & Africa

Israeli Weapons Industries (IWI) introduced a new assault rifle during the LAAD 2019 exhibition in Brazil, local media reports. The so called Carmel is a conventional configuration rifle, which is offered in four different barrel lengths: 267mm, 305mm, 368mm and 406mm. The rifle features special steels, aviation grade aluminum and high impact polymers for high performance in small unit operations across a wide range of environments and different combat scenarios. It has a rotating bolt system and is equipped with picatinny rails on all sides to allow 100 percent compatibility with any available sights, devices or accessories. The weight of the rifle without a magazine or sight is 3.3 kg.

Europe

Britain will send its F35B aircraft on their very first overseas deployment this year. According to the British government, the aircraft will make their way from Royal Air Force home station Marham in Norfolk to Cyprus. This marks an important milestone for the F35B’s journey to become fully operational. The deployment will see personnel from the Royal Air Force as well as the Navy gain vital experience in maintaining and flying the aircraft in an unfamiliar environment. Britain currently owns 17 F-35B aircraft, and plans to procure 138 over the life of the program. The country plans for the jets to hit targets in Syria as soon as this summer, the Times reported last December.

German defense company Rheinmetall won a $122.8 million contract from the German Bundeswehr to deliver 32,000 rounds of artillery ammunition. The deal includes an option for a further 11,000 for $41.7 million. The ammunition ordered by the Bundeswehr is the 155mm DM121. At the end of March, the German parliament approved $28 million in funding for procurement of 155 mm ammunition for the Panzerhaubitze (PzH) 2000 self-propelled howitzer. The DM121 can attain ranges of up to 30 kilometres and can also be used in training as well as field exercises. According to Rheinmetall, the DM121 is capable of penetrating a several-centimeter-thick wall of reinforced concrete before detonating in controlled fashion on the opposite side. Rheinmetall Waffe Munition will produce the 155mm artillery ammunition for the five-year-contract in Unterlüß, Germany.

Asia-Pacific

According to Jane’s, South Korean company Korean Aerospace Industries started ground-based engine trials of the Light Attack Helicopter (LAH) it developed for the Republic of Korea Army. The LAH, developed around the Airbus H155 twin-engined platform, features a turreted 20 mm Gatling-gun under its nose, stub wings provisioned to carry rocket pods as well as a nose-mounted electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor, fuselage- and tail-mounted missile warning receivers, and upwards-directed exhausts for a reduced IR signature. The 214 LAHs that are currently being produced are scheduled to enter into service in 2022/2023.

Today’s Video

Watch: Here’s How F-35 Technology Would Be Compromised If Turkey Also Had the S-400 Anti-Aircraft System

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAV8dMtc1A8

HMCS Protecteur
(click to view larger)

As part of its spate of military modernization announcements issued just before Canada Day (July 1) 2006, the Canadian government issued an RFP that began the process of defining and building 3 “Joint Support Ships.” The aim was to deliver 3 multi-role vessels with substantially more capability than the current Protecteur Class oiler and resupply ships. In addition to being able to provide at-sea support (re-fueling and re-supply) to deployed naval task groups, the new JSS ships were envisioned as ships that would also be capable of sealift operations, as well as amphibious support to forces deployed ashore.

This was expected to be a C$ 2.9 billion (USD $2.58 billion) project. This article describes the process, the industry teams participating, and some of the issues swirling around Canada’s very ambitious specifications. Specifications that ultimately sank the whole project, twice, in a manner that was predictable from the outset. Leaving Canada’s navy with a serious problem, as its existing ships were forced into retirement. Will another go-round in 2012-13 help any? And what will Canada do in the meantime?

Take 2: Lessons, Process, and Contenders

Berlin Class
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The 24,700t Canadian oiler and supply ships HMCS Protecteur (T-AOR-509, commissioned 1969), and HMCS Preserver (T-AOR-510, commissioned 1970) have contributed to humanitarian aid missions in Florida and the Bahamas, peace-making off Somalia and East Timor, and have been poised for the evacuation of non-combatants from Haiti, to name but a few of their recent endeavors. In the end, both HMCS Protecteur (fire) and HMCS Preserver (corrosion) were forced into “early” retirement in September 2014, after 45 and 44 years of respective service time.

Canada picked the 20,240t Berlin Class as its follow-on supply ships in June 2013, but hasn’t managed to issue a build contract. Current projections involve an expected cost of C$ 2.6 billion, for ships that Canada is unlikely to receive before 2020 at the earliest.

This outcome wasn’t necessary, but it was predictable. Meanwhile, interim leases of much larger 49,600t American ships are being considered as a bridge-buy option.

JSS Procurement Plan #1

Dutch JSS concept
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The ship’s requirements were unveiled in June 2006. they included the ability to carry liquid and bulk supplies, amphibious support roles, a hangar for multiple helicopters, and a strengthened hull for operations in ice. August 2008 saw the predictable demise of that JSS program (vid. Appendices A & B), but Canada’s Protecteur Class still faced all of the same issues with maintenance, and still had a limited lifespan left.

Canada’s DND was still thinking things over in January 2010 when the Dutch made a move of their own, ordering their own “Joint Logistic Support Ship” with specifications that closely matched Canada’s stated JSS needs and requirements.

Canada made no move. Its government remained stuck considering what it wanted to do, and JSS discussions became intertwined with a proposed national shipbuilding strategy that added more complexity and delay. Some countries like Australia have shifted toward a single preferred shipbuilder approach, in order to keep their defense shipbuilding industrial base alive despite limited orders. Regional politics make that a perilous option for any Canadian government, so in June 2010 Canada opted for a dual preferred shipbuilders approach. Their National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) would build their future combat ships in one shipyard, and their future support and non-combatant ships at a second location.

With that step out of the way, July 2010 saw the JSS program’s re-start announcement, this time at C$ 2.6 billion instead of $2.9 billion. With the Canadian dollar close to par with the US dollar, currency shifts made up some of that difference. The other difference involved cutting the planned order to just 2 ships instead of 3, after previous program experience showed that it wasn’t possible to buy 3 ships that do all of the things that Canada wanted, for the money it was prepared to spend.

JSS Procurement Plan #2

A15 Cantabria
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October 2010 saw the final piece of the puzzle fall into place. A dysfunctional political and procurement system has led Canada’s government to use ACAN buys for big defense purchases, almost all of which have been organized as rigged sole-source decisions instead of competitions. The JSS program looked to pick one of 2 existing designs that were already in service with NATO allies.

The Dutch multi-role JSS, which isn’t in service yet, wasn’t one of the 2 choices.

Contender #1 was ThyssenKrupp Marine’s 20,240t Berlin Class, with 3 examples serving in the Germany Navy. These ships are mostly conventional oiler and replenishment ships, with storage for 9,330t of fuel oil, aviation fuel and fresh water, and 550t of mixed cargo. They can carry light armament and up to 2 medium helicopters, with an on-board hospital that can handle up to 43 patients.

Contender #2 was Navantia S.A.’s Cantabria Class, an enlarged 19,500t version of the Patino Class replenishment ship. Cargo specifications for the smaller Patino are 8,480t fuel capacity (6,820t diesel and 1,660t aviation), and 500t of mixed cargo. The Cantabria carries a crew medical center with 10 beds, including a operating facilities equipped for telemedicine by videoconference, an X-ray room, dental surgery, sterilization laboratory, medical surgery and gas containment center.

While each of these ships has some minor capabilities beyond the basic fleet replenishment mission, the most striking thing about these choices is their signal that Canada had effectively abandoned its attempt to make the JSS a multi-role amphibious operations ship.

JSS Procurement Plan #3

TKMS concept
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Discussions were held with each firm concerning Canada-specific modifications to their designs, and the terms under which they’d be willing to hand over their designs to a designated Canadian shipbuilder. Those discussions reportedly didn’t go well, and other reports surfaced that BMT Fleet Technology of Kanata, ON near Ottawa might offer an design if those negotiations failed.

The report turned out to be true, and in March 2012, Canada gave design contracts to BMT and to TKMS. BMT would offer a custom JSS design for Canada, while TKMS would offer a modified version of the Berlin Class. Canada would pick a design between the 2 once the teams were done, arrange license production in Canada at Vancouver Shipyards per the NSPS selections, then contract with the shipyard.

Adding a new design that is not in service would vastly increase the program’s risks. On the other hand, their parent company has an Aegir family of ships that were designed from the outset to be built in “local country” shipyards, and will form the basis for the UK’s new MARS fleet tankers.

Canada’s conclusion? The entire competitive structure had been a waste of time. Implementation costs would be 15% less with an off-the-shelf design, so that was the only contender offering enough contingency funding for an executable project. TKMS’ modified Berlin Class was picked in June 2013, but construction isn’t expected to begin until at least “late 2016,” and delivery isn’t expected until 2020 at the earliest.

Supply Ship Cost Comparison: Canada vs. Britain

BMT’s MARS Tanker
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Canada isn’t the only country looking to reinvest in supply ships. As noted above, the Dutch are fielding a 28,000t multi-role supply and amphibious JSS support ship that’s similar to Canada’s original requirements, at a coat of around $500 million. Changing specifications in Canada have made that a poor comparison.

When it comes to simpler oiler/ supply vessels, Britain is a much better comparison. In 2002, Britain began a Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) program to replace 11 supply ships in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Their program also went through a great deal of internal turbulence, including a program split in 2007. In early 2012, however, the Royal Navy placed its first MARS contract for 4 double-hulled oiler ships, which would also have the ability to transport and transfer other supplies.

While the 20,240t Berlin Class would certainly qualify for this role, Britain ended up choosing the option Canada didn’t: BMT’s Aegir design, albeit in a larger 37,000t ship. This makes for a very interesting comparison, and Britain added one more major difference: their ships would be built abroad, because even the UK’s shipbuilding facilities weren’t deemed ready, or good value for money. Instead, they chose one of the world’s leading shipbuilders, with a commercial and military history of on-time, on-budget delivery: Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in South Korea. The 1st ship, RFA Tidespring, is expected to enter service in 2016.

The cost differential is stunning.

Canada’s JSS program is budgeting C$ 2.6 billion for 2 ships of 20,240t each. Which means that each ship costs $1.3 billion. We’ll assume that rough parity with the US dollar continues throughout the project. We’ll also assume that the JSS project doesn’t end up with major cost overruns, even though this is a significant risk given Seaspan Vancouver’s lack of experience.

Britain’s 4 x 37,000t Tide Class MARS replenishment ships cost GBP 602 million total, or about $950 million equivalent. Which means that each ship costs $237.5 million. Their builder has a long record of solid performance, so this amount is fairly reliable.

The difference per ship = 5.47x, in order to build ships with just 2/3 the individual tonnage, and much greater risk of cost overruns or late arrival.

JSS: Contracts and Key Events 2019

Fire on board Protecteur; Both existing ships forced to retire; Lease of retiring US MSC Supply Class T-AOEs?

At-sea emergency

April 9/19: Sea Giraffe for Protecteur Lockheed Martin contracted Saab to deliver Sea Giraffe AMB 3-D surveillance radars to the Royal Canadian Navy’s two new Protecteur Class Joint Support Ships. According to a press release by Saab, the Sea Giraffe AMB will form part of the command management system for the new ships. The Sea Giraffe Agile Multi Beam (AMB) is a C-band maritime 3D mid-range multifunction radar. The radar provides airspace reconnaissance and simultaneous target tracking, weapon system targeting and high-resolution navigation. The Sea Giraffe AMB has been optimized for use on the Swedish Visby Class corvettes and the Independence Class US Coast Guard. The AMB contains a number of independent elevation-angle antenna beams. Saab will perform work in Gothenburg, Sweden and Halifax, Canada with deliveries scheduled between 2020 and 2022.

2014

Sept 23/14: Rent a T-AOE? CBC reports that Canada is considering a lease of the 49,600t Supply Class fast combat support ship USNS Bridge [T-AOE-10], which was recently inactivated by the US Navy because it costs $75 million per year to keep it in operation.

Older oilers cost about $40 million, and the new T-AKE dry supply ships cost aout $50 million, but they limit the speed of any naval group using them to under 20 knots. Carrier Strike Group transits are often 20-24 knots, and 25-26 knots is not uncommon; the Supply Class are the ships that can keep up. USNS Rainier [T-AOE-7] is scheduled to be held in reserve for another year, but current plans would also remove her from the fleet, over strenuous objections from fleet commanders.

A Canadian lease could help solve the US Navy’s problem by transferring the operating costs, while helping Canada at the same time. For the USA, the question is whether to give up control over the ships’ future usage, such as it is. If they believe the Canadians will send their T-AOEs and frigates to accompany US Navy strike groups often enough, it could still be a net plus. For the Canadians, the size difference is a big deal, because it affects required infrastructure. The USD $75 million per year operating cost could also be an issue to a military that may not have enough funds for operations under planned budgets. The good news is that crewing won’t be a big problem, since the 1960s-era Protecteur Class required almost twice as many crew as the late-1990s era Supply Class do. Sources: CASR, “The JSS Project: Delays, delivery dates, urgency, and alternatives” | CBC, “Canada’s navy looks to fill fleet gap with purchase from U.S.” | Defense News, “Canada To Seek NATO, US Support For Naval Air Defense, Resupply” | Defense News “Big Supply Ships May Get Reprieve – For Now” (July 2014).

Sept 19/14: Retired. Both HMCS Preserver and HMCS Protecteur are forced into retirement. HMCS Protecteur has never recovered from its engine fire (q.v. Feb 27/14) and collision with the destroyer HMCS Algonquin (q.v. Aug 31/13), which will also be scrapped. HMCS Preserver was found to have serious corrosion problems, and the destroyer HMCS Iroquois was scheduled for retirement in 2015 anyway, after 43 years of service.

Sources: CTV News, “Navy sending four Cold War era ships into retirement” | Nanaimo Daily News, “Navy to drop four ships, including Protecteur and Algonquin”.

Both T-AORs retire

Feb 28/14: Fire. As if its recent crash wasn’t bad enough (q.v. Aug 31/13), HMCS Protecteur suffers an engine room fire en route to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She is taken under tow by the American destroyer USS Chosin, but the tow line breaks in rough seas. HMCS Protecteur is eventually towed into Pearl Harbor on March 6/14 by the fleet ocean tug USNS Sioux [T-ATF 171].

About 20 crew suffered minor injuries, but the damage to the ship is more serious. the engine room and propulsion control machinery is badly damaged, and there’s fire and smoke damage to adjoining compartments. Some doubt the ship will ever sail again, and she has to be towed back to Canada after the damage assessment is complete. Sources: CBC, “Line towing fire-damaged HMCS Protecteur to Hawaii breaks” | CBC, “HMCS Protecteur towed into Pearl Harbor” | US Navy, “HMCS Protecteur, Crew Arrive Safely to Pearl Harbor” | CBC, “HMCS Protecteur too badly damaged to sail home on her own”.

Protecteur fire

2013

Berlin Class picked for JSS, but no contract; Inflation mismatch risks shortfalls; 2012 saw both existing oilers out of service; Collision with destroyer damages Protecteur.

HMCS Protecteur
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Oct 11/13: More delays. There isn’t even a contract for the JSS ships yet, and the government is already admitting to reporters that Canada’s existing supply ships will need to be retired before the new Berlin Class variants can enter service over the 2019-2020 time frame. This is a new admission, and it’s so even though the polar icebreaker project will be deferred in JSS’ favor.

Senior officials are already talking about a service gap of “at least 18 months,” without even a contract in place to offer an notional end date. Shipbuilding isn’t even expected to start before “late 2016,” despite the use of a licensed design as the base Meanwhile, making JSS the yard’s first major military shipbuilding project sharply raises the odds of industrial mistakes and rework, cost overruns, and schedule failures.

Any delays will have costs and implications beyond even the JSS project, because Seaspan Vancouver doesn’t have the capacity to run both projects in parallel. Meanwhile, CGCS Louis St. Laurent will need at least $55 million in refits in order to keep operating until 2021 – 2022. Further JSS delays would force Canada to either spend more, or to field a navy with no supply ships and no icebreaker. Sources: Canadian government, “National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy Secretariat announces Vancouver Shipyards to build the Joint Support Ships in 2016” | CBC, “Arctic icebreaker delayed as Tories prioritize supply ships” | Postmedia, “Shipbuilding schedule conflict to cost taxpayers extra $55 million”.

Aug 31/13: Crash. HMCS Protecteur collides with the Tribal Class destroyer HMCS Algonquin during a west coast training exercise. The towing exercise certainly went “dramatically wrong”, but that’s almost a tangential point. Until the damage is fixed, Canada’s Pacific Fleet has no replenishment ship – a situation that can be repeated at any time with JSS, given that there are only 2 ships planned.

The same amount of money could build 4 or more similar ships abroad, as countries like Britain have done. The difference illustrates the non-monetary cost of Canada’s chosen approach. The Globe and Mail, “Canadian Pacific navy fleet severely hampered without damaged ships.”

Collision

June 2-10/13: Calling Berlin. Canada chooses ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems’ “proven, off-the-shelf” design, based on the German Navy’s double-hulled Berlin Class Einsatzgruppenversorger (EGV – Task Force Support Ship), over a variant of BMT Fleet Technology’s Aegir that was picked as the base for Britain’s forthcoming Tide Class support tankers.

It wasn’t a features contest. Ultimately, TKMS won because Canada believed that implementation costs would be 15% less with an off-the-shelf design, so that was the only contender offering enough contingency funding for an executable project. First Marine International was used to validate construction cost estimates.

The TKMS design can carry 2 CH-148 (S-92) medium helicopters, and has less fuel capacity than the Protecteur Class, but useable fuel is closer. It seems that the Protecteurs can’t transfer their full payload without creating stability challenges, and their single-hull design’s days are numbered by maritime rules. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems designs show a pair of MK-15 Phalanx systems mounted for defense, 1 forward and 1 aft.

TKMS will prepare the detailed design package for Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd to review in preparation for actual production, and part of that process will involve definition contract negotiations between Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. and the Canadian government. Once these steps are complete, Canada will acquire the license for the ship design, allowing in-country production and support. Canada DND | Canada DND added background | Navy Recognition | TKMS concept: ship 3-view.

TKMS Berlin Class picked

Feb 22/13: The Canadian government offers a C$ 15.7 million trickle of contracts to Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyard, in British Columbia. The money will be used to assess the Joint Support Ship design options, review the future CCGS John G. Diefenbaker polar icebreaker’s design, refine the design and specifications for the offshore fisheries science vessel, and produce plans for construction, material, subcontractors and labor. STX Marine is acting as the shipyard’s design partner. Public Works Canada | Seaspan Shipyards [PDF] | MarineLog.

Seaspan study contracts

Feb 13/13: JSS & inflation. Opposition parties draw attention to the 2.7% inflation rate being used to cost the “C$ 2.6 billion” Joint Support Ship project, and to an internal DND audit that cites 3.5% – 5.0% as the norm for the shipbuilding industry. American defense planners have been known to use even higher figures. Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose defends the estimate as coming from their usual process, but doesn’t explain the deviation from industry norms.

Over the course of a long project, the difference can add up to tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. Which means either higher defense spending, cuts to the project, or cancellation of other projects. Higher defense spending is unlikely any time soon, and it’s hard to cut a 2-ship project. The situation could become even worse if other NSPS projects pick up the same flawed estimate, but the inflation rate issue is likely to surface again later in 2013, when the Parliamentary Budget Office tables their report on the JSS program. Canada.com

Feb 13/13: Out of action. Canada.com reports:

“National Defence reported late last year that biggest challenge facing the navy in 2012 was when its two support ships, the HMCS Protecteur and Preserver, went into maintenance at the same time…. because of their absence in late 2011 and early 2012, the navy was forced to turn to allies for help replenishing other Canadian vessels at sea until the re-supply ships came back online.”

Both oilers down

2010 – 2012

Canada launches 2nd JSS attempt, which sinks. Try plan #3?

HMCS Preserver
(click to view full)

Dec 6/12: PBO denied. Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page is denied when he asks to see the winning NSPS shipyard bids, as part of a study examining the financial implications of the Joint Support Ship, and a similar effort focused on Canada’s project to build Arctic patrol vessels. From Canada.com:

“Public Works has provided PBO with some information related to the national shipbuilding strategy, including a number of agreements and reports related to Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards for the resupply ship study…. In a letter to Page dated Dec. 3, d’Auray indicated the winning bids were not relevant to the PBO study because they “do not stipulate awarding contracts, and the bidders were not asked to submit cost estimates for any of the vessels.”

Oct 19/12: Infrastructure. Part of the NSPS involved meeting a “target state” level of efficiency, as set by First Marine International standards. The ability to reach this state, and to finance the required upgrades, was an important part of the bidding process. Along those lines, Vancouver Shipyards holds a ground breaking ceremony as part of their C$ 200 million infrastructure investment: 4 new fabrication buildings, a shipbuilding gantry crane, and a load out pier.

While the government touts the investment as having “no cost to Canada,” Costs will be passed through one way or another. Especially when the shipyards in question are now sole-source bidders. The more likely result is that they’ll soak the provincial government for most of the funds, as their east coast counterparts at Irving did. Government of Canada

March 8-12/12: JSS Plan #3. Canada has moved forward with a new JSS approach, awarding relatively small design contracts for a custom JSS design from BMT, and a modified off-the-shelf Berlin Class design. Canada intends to pick a winner, and then license the design for construction in Canada.

BMT Fleet, who designed Britain’s new 37,000t MARS fleet tankers and supply ships, is awarded a 12-month, C$ 9.8 million design project to further develop their Contract Design as a JSS option. They have already done a JSS Preliminary Design under earlier contracts, and have been supporting the JSS project since December 2002 through a series of individual taskings issued under an Engineering, Logistics, and Management Support (ELMS) Services Contract. These have included a broad range of engineering and design studies.

At the same time, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems has won an undisclosed contract to modify their Berlin Class Task Group Supply Vessel (EGV) to meet Canadian requirements. The modified design will be developed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Canada (TKMSC) and TKMS subsidiary Blohm + Voss Naval. If the modified Berlin Class EGV design is chosen, it would be followed by a functional design contract, and those designs would be licensed for construction by a Canadian shipyard. This design contract includes initial provisions for a licensing agreement to that effect. Blohm + Voss | BMT Fleet.

New JSS approach, initial design contracts

Nov 4/11: HMCS Preserver crash. As it prepares to return to service following a C$ 44.7 million refit, HMCS Preserver hits the floating drydock at Irving’s shipyard in Halifax, NS. The drydock now has a hole, and the ship’s hull is reportedly dented above the water line.

The incident underscores the vulnerability of Canada’s fleet to problems with existing supply ships, and the importance of the future JSS. Until HMCS Preserver is returned to service, HMCS Protecteur will remain Canada’s only supply ship. Which it did – until it had to go in for repairs in 2012, leaving Canada with nothing. CBC | Global TV News | Ottawa Citizen’s Defence Watch.

HMCS Preserver crash

Oct 19/11: Trouble. The National Post reports that the JSS program has hit a major block:

“Defence sources said it is in trouble because two companies competing to design the new ships – ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems of Germany and Navantia S.A. of Spain – are backing away from the bidding process. It is understood that the government is not prepared to pay their asking price and is likely to turn to a domestic Canadian design being prepared by engineering support contractor BMT Fleet Technology of Kanata, Ont. None of the competing companies responded to requests for comment Tuesday… One Defence insider said the JSS problems reflect a lack of experienced procurement staff. “This is so depressingly Canadian – you go out to bidders, you indicate an interest in designs, you load on extras and then say ‘no, thank you.’ It could set us back another five years,” he said. The new supply ships were due to be in service by 2017 but sources say that deadline is unlikely to be met now.”

Bidders not playing

Oct 19/11: NSPS. Tim Colton’s Maritime Memos was right, it took just over a year from Canada’s government to announce the obvious. In their partial defense, there was a May 2011 election in between, and at least they didn’t pick an obviously disastrous political choice for the 20-30 year, C$ 33 billion program.

On the west coast, Seaspan subsidiary Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. in North Vancouver, BC wins the C$ 8 billion non-combat portion. They will build the 2-3 Berlin or Cantabria derivative JSS support ships, 4 off-shore science vessels for the Coast Guard, and a new polar icebreaker, for a total of 7-8 ships, worth about C$ 8 billion. Despite the JSS’ long-running competition, and the fleet’s need, the 3 off-shore fisheries and 1 oceanographic science vessels will be the first ships built. Other team members include and Alion Canada (design), CSC (logistics), Imtech Marine (ship systems), STX Canada Marine (design), and Thales Canada (ship systems).

There are 2 caveats worth noting. One is that the projects will involve 100% value industrial offsets, which matters because many ship systems and components, especially combat-related equipment, will come from outside Canada. The other is that the government can take over the shipbuilder if it signs up for NSPS, and then defaults on contractual obligations (vid. Part 3, Section 5.2). Read “Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy” for full coverage.

NSPS shipyards designated

Oct 8/10: NSPS. Public Works Canada announces the results of their initial shipbuilding strategy Solicitation of Interest and Qualification. One yard will be selected to build combat vessels, while a 2nd yard will build non-combat vessels. Five Canadian shipyards have been short-listed. Read “Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy” for full coverage.

Oct 8/10: RFI. Canada’s MERX government procurement board posts solicitation W8472-115312/A. It says the government has approved a new approach, restricted to “adapting the designs of recently built naval fleet replenishment ships that are operating with other NATO Navies.”

It then narrows the contenders down to ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems’ Berlin Class, and Navantia S.A.’s Cantabria Class. The process will begin by ordering risk reduction studies to cover adapting these designs to meet Canadian requirements, provide historical costs of building, and deliver a proposal that includes a data package and technology transfer agreement so a Canadian shipyard can build and support the ships. If one of these designs is selected for the JSS, Canada will amend the contract with that designer to implement its proposal.

RFI for v2.0

July 14/10: JSS, Take 2. Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) issues background materials concerning a second attempt at the JSS project. Specifications are very, very thin. The second go-round is listed as a C$ 2.6 billion project, though currency strength would offset some of the $300 million reduction. So would the revised plan of buying 2 ships, with an option for a 3rd.

Canada’s proposed shipbuilding strategy fits into the plan, but a construction bid can’t be expected before 2012 at the earliest. The mission description is close to meaningless, and will remain so until tradeoffs are specified among these capabilities, and exact requirements become clearer:

“The primary role of the JSS will include supply of fuel, ammunition, spare parts, food, and water. The JSS will also provide a home base for the maintenance and operation of helicopters, a limited sealift capability, and logistics support to forces deployed ashore… the [current] definition phase, will involve the assessment of both new and existing designs. Existing ship designs are those already built, operating, and meet key specific Canadian requirements. A new ship design is being developed by government and industry officials working side-by-side… The design is expected to be available in approximately two years, at which time a Canadian shipyard, selected as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy, will be engaged to complete the design of and build the Joint Support Ships.”

See: Backgrounder | Release.

2nd JSS procurement attempt begins

June 3/10: NSPS. Canada announces a new shipbuilding strategy:

“Two shipyards will be selected to build the large vessels (1000 tonnes displacement or more)… process, led by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)… will result in the signing of formal agreements establishing a long-term relationship between each yard and the Government of Canada. The negotiation and signing of umbrella agreements with the successful shipyards is expected to occur in the 2011-2012 timeframe.

One shipyard will be selected to build combat vessels. This will enable the procurement of the Canadian Surface Combatant [CSC frigate/destroyer replacement] and Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS)… Another competitively selected shipyard will build non-combat vessels, such as the Joint Support Ships (JSS)… Shipyards among those not selected for the building of large vessels may be engaged in the building and support (maintenance, refit, and repair) of the approximately 100 smaller vessels included within the strategy. Maintenance, refit, and repair of the Navy’s fleet represent some [C$] 500 million annually.”

Now it has to start picking winners, and approving programs. Major ministry participants include Defense, Public Works, and Fisheries & Oceans. Plus Industry Canada. Not a recipe for speed. DND release | Public Works | Coast Guard.

National shipbuilding strategy announced

Jan 18/10: Dutch JSS. The Dutch go ahead with their own multi-role “Joint Logistics Support Ship” program, with a budget of EUR 385.5 billion for 1 ship. Could this represent a JSS contender if the project resurfaces?

2006 – 2009

JSS program launched, contracts signed, then program canceled.

JSS v1.0
(click to view larger)

April 13/09: Rust-out. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News obtains copies of the Canadian Forces’ 2009-2010 Maritime Staff Capability Plan, in which navy Commodore Kelly Williams warns that maintaining the Navy’s existing 40 year-old supply ships will be problematic:

“Maintaining the obsolescent tankers is costly and will put further pressure on the already constrained [repair budget] and further delays in the mid-life refit for Halifax class [frigates] which will lead to rust-out…”

“Rust-out” is caused by repeatedly sanding warships, which leads to hulls becoming thinner and more fragile. CBC News quotes Liberal Party (official opposition) Senator Colin Kenny, who chairs the Senate’s standing defence committee, is highly critical of the program, which was begun under one of his own party’s governments:

“The navy only asked for three [ships] when it knew it needed four,” he told CBC News. “But the costs have come in that there’s only enough money for two. And if Mr. MacKay thinks things are on track, he really doesn’t know what’s happening.”

April 2/08: The Ottawa Citizen publishes an op-ed, “Celebrating a robust navy with an uncertain future.”

Aug 22/08: JSS – The End. Canada’s Ministry of Public Works and Government Services announces the termination of the JSS program:

“After receiving and evaluating the mandatory requirements for the Joint Support Ship Project from the bidders, the Crown has determined that the proposals were not compliant with the basic terms of the Request for Proposals (RFP). Among other compliance failures, both bids were significantly over the established budget provisions… The Department of National Defence and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are currently considering the next steps. The government is committed to procure, repair and refit vessels in Canada according to the government’s Buy Canada policy.”

The Hill Times was blunt, as it offered more background details:

“According to industry insiders, both design teams were unable to come up with a ship design under-budget. Although details are tight, officials say one team submitted a blueprint for two vessels [instead of 3], while the other sent in a plan for three, which was way over budget. In other words, industry has sent a strong signal to Ottawa – either increase the funding or scale down the project.”

The government’s decision left the Canadian navy’s future ability to operate independently at risk. HMCS Preserver and HMCS Protecteur were expected to reach the end of their service life between 2010- 2012, but the failure of the JSS concept means that it will be very difficult to build replacement ships before that date. Meanwhile, HMCS Preserver is headed into dock to have its boiler system repaired, just 2 years after the last repair. Those systems are an ongoing risk, as the Canadian Press explains:

“An undated briefing note, leaked to The Canadian Press over the weekend, show the navy was bracing for the blow… “If the Protecteur and Preserver are going to be needed longer than expected, we will also determine what needs to be done to keep our supply ships safe, operational and available until they can be replaced… Many of their systems are nearly obsolete, such as the boilers they use to generate steam for main propulsion. As you might expect, it’s becoming increasingly difficult and costly to maintain these ships. Spare parts are no longer readily available, and the skills needed to operate and maintain systems that were already mature in the 1960s are becoming increasingly rare.”… Beyond basic mechanics, marine engineering designs and environmental laws have become more complex over the last 40 years. The navy’s two supply ships are single hull designs…”

See also: The Hill Times | Globe & Mail | Canwest News Service | Canadian Press | CBC.

JSS terminated

Aug 3/08: The National Post reports that discussions have begun with Dutch shipbuilders, in the wake of serious problems with the JSS bid. The Netherlands builds the highly-regarded Rotterdam Class LSDs – but political friction is building around the prospect of contracting for shipbuilding outside Canada. Even though…

“This year, the federal government determined that proposals from two Canadian consortiums earmarked to build the new fleet were “noncompliant.” Defence officials were told the Joint Support Ship budget was not enough to build the three vessels envisioned and attempts to obtain more funding from the government have been unsuccessful.”

See Apendix A, which discusses why this outcome could have been, and was, predicted long in advance. Meanwhile, Conservative Party Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s press secretary Jay Paxton is attempting to douse the flames of controversy regarding the Netherlands visit:

“Although the director-general of major project delivery land and sea was in Europe on other business, he had a chance to meet with government representatives from the Netherlands who are undertaking a similar project and they compared best practices in the context of an update on their project.”

May 19/08: The Ottawa Citizen reports problems with the JSS program:

“The $2.1 billion set aside for buying three Joint Support Ships is not enough, defence officials confirm. They point out that part of the problem is the new vessels would conduct missions far beyond the scope of re-supplying warships at sea, the role now done by the decades-old Protecteur-class ships… There is no similar type of ship in the world, as most navies use two types of vessels to perform the distinct roles.

Defence officials have heard from industry that the money set aside by the government might be enough for two ships, not three.”

Nov 24/06: Phase 2 contracts. The Phase 2 Project Definition contracts have been awarded. Teams led by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Canada Inc. and SNC-Lavalin ProFac Inc. were selected, receiving identical contract of C$ 12.5 million (US$ 11 million). Irving Shipbuilding and BAE were eliminated. Each team will now have 14 months to develop a preliminary system specification, and a proposal for project implementation. A winner will be selected in 2008, and delivery of the first ship is planned for 2012. See MarineLog report.

Phase 2 definition contracts

June 26/06: JSS announced. Liberal Party Minister of National Defence Gordon O’Connor, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Michael Fortier and Chief of the Defence Staff General Rick Hillier announce the C$ 2.9 billion Joint Support Ship project for Canada’s Navy. This project includes a base cost of C$ 2.1 billion, plus an estimated C$ 800 million in contracted in-service support over 20 years. DND Backgrounder | DND Release.

Joint Support Ship program announced

Appendix A: The JSS v1.0 Procurement Process

JSS concept
(click to view larger)

Here’s how the three-step process announced by Paul Martin’s Liberal Party government in 2006 was expected to work:

Four industry teams were pre-qualified to compete for the contract. A request for proposals, to be issued shortly, will trigger the process to select two industry teams for the project definition phase.

The second phase, Project Definition, would see 2 qualified consortia selected from among the qualifying proposals. These two consortia will each be awarded a C$ 12.5 million contract to produce and deliver an implementation proposal consisting of a preliminary ship design, a project implementation plan, and an in-service support plan. These proposals will be evaluated on the basis of compliance and the proposal demonstrating the best value, taking into consideration technical merit and total ownership cost, will be selected as the winner.

The final phase, Project Implementation, will see the winning bidder awarded two separate but inter-related contracts. The first will be for the completed design for and construction of the Joint Support Ships. The second will be for the in-service support for the life of the vessels. Delivery of the first ship is targeted for 2012.

The expected overall project cost for the JSS includes a base cost of C$ 2.1 billion (USD $1.87 billion), plus an estimated C$ 800 million (USD $712 million) in contracted in-service support over 20 years. Industry teams were led by:

• Irving Shipbuilding
  
• BAE Systems (Project) Limited (BAE Systems Naval Ships)
  
• ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AG
  
• SNC-Lavalin Profac Inc.

A list of the required capabilities could be found in the Canadian government’s detailed 2006 release. Supply functions, medical care, repair facilities, self-defense, roll-on roll-off, lift-on lift-off helicopter operation, ice capabilities, deck space for vehicles… the list goes on. All in a 200m/ 28,000t ship:

• The provision at sea of fuel, food, spare parts, and ammunition. Goal is to enable a Naval Task Group to remain at sea for up to 6 times longer than would be possible without these ships;
  
• Afloat support to Canadian forces deployed on shore;
  
• The ability to navigate in first-year arctic ice up to 0.7 m thick;
  
• 20 knots sustained speed;
  
• A covered multi-purpose deck space for vehicles and containers with space for additional containers on the upper decks. Total of 1,000 – 1,500 lane meters desired on upper and lower decks;
  
• Ability to carry 7,000t – 10,000t of ship fuel,650 – 1,300t of JP-5 naval aviation fuel, and 1,100 square meters of ammunition.
  
• The operation of 3-4 maritime helicopters per ship, with rapid reconfiguration possible should the ship wish, for example, to use its hangars for evacuated disaster survivors;
  
• Roll-on Roll-off (RO-RO) of cargo;
  
• Lift-on Lift-off (LO-LO) of cargo.

Other capabilities would include:

• The ability to function as a Joint Task Force HQ
  
• Work and living space for additional personnel, over and above the standard crew of up to 165 people;
  
• Modern medical and dental care facilities, including an operating room for urgently needed operations;
  
• Repair facilities and technical expertise to keep aircraft and other equipment functioning; and
  
• The ship will be configured with both active and passive self-defence systems

The new Conservative Party government kept the JSS program, and followed the competition procedure to narrow the contest down to just 2 bidders: ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AG, and SNC-Lavalin Profac Inc.

In the end, however, the specifications, design, and budget simply could not be made to agree. The JSS project is currently in limbo. A solution is required, and soon, but successfully executing one demanded a rethink of the project’s main premises.

Surprisingly, the project got exactly that. The next iteration featured an overarching national shipbuilding strategy, and a specification set that scrapped the multi-role requirement in favor of a slightly-modified variant of a serving NATO support vessel.

Appendix B: DID Op-ed/Analysis (June 30, 2006)

HMAS Collins launch
(click for alternate view)

Candidly, the record for small to mid-size powers attempting to develop new military technologies is not all that good. Engineering is a challenging art at the best of times, and military projects are more demanding than most because of the myriad of parts to integrate and the advanced (and hence often new and unproven) nature of the technologies. Add local unfamiliarity into the mix, and the result is inevitably schedule slips and cost overruns – often significant slips, and major cost overruns.

Given the limited procurement resources of small to medium powers, such projects can easily threaten to swallow entire service procurement budgets. Cancellation means millions or even billions of dollars has been flushed down the toilet. On the other hand, continuing the program may break one’s military as other areas are starved to pay for it – all with no guarantee of success.

Australia’s Collins Class subs, for instance, are excellent vehicles. Yet cost overruns have measured in the hundreds of millions, remediation is not yet finished, and the schedule for full deployment has slipped by years. All for vessels of a well-understood ship type, based in part on a pre-existing class (Sweden’s Gotland Class), and built in cooperation with an experienced, world-leading firm in submarine technology.

Overall, the Collins Class is an example of a successful local to medium power project to develop an advanced military platform despite previous inexperience.

Canada’s Joint Support Ships, in contrast, conform to no known ship type in their breadth of required functions, and are based on no pre-existing class. The firms competing for the design are not world leaders in similar ship classes like amphibious assault ships or LPDs. Nor does the depth of Canadian design and build experience in related efforts give cause for optimism; quite the reverse. Indeed, the JSS’ breadth of functions alone suggests a difficult project for any entity or country to undertake, and little hope of much beyond mediocrity in all functions due to the required trade-offs.

The Canadian Forces may succeed in the end, and if DID would be happy to apologize. Indeed, we would be pleased to run an article here explaining why they believe they can succeed, and what steps they have taken to address their approach’s inherent risks and performance trade-offs.

For the project’s critics appear to have the high ground when they suggest that JSS is set up to become a budget-eating failure, and recommend that Canada replace the unwieldy JSS idea with a conventional oiler or two plus a few HSV rapid deployment vessels like the ones the USA is gravitating toward. Or recommend the LPD-17 San Antonio Class amphibious support ship as an alternative. Or even recommend a larger number of smaller Dutch/Spanish Rotterdam Class LPDs, plus the USA’s versatile new T-AKE supply ships.

Those kinds of risk reduction strategies would leverage successful R&D efforts, and spend more money on cutting steel and floating boats. As opposed to pursuing paper visions that risk sucking up vast resources and producing inferior products – or no products as all.

Additional Readings Canada’s NSPS and the JSS

• DID – Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.

• Canada DND, via WayBack – Joint Support Ship (JSS).

• Canada DND, via WayBack – Internal Audit of Joint Support Ship (JSS) Project.

• Canada DND, via WayBack (July 14/10) – Canada Begins Joint Support Ships Procurement for the Canadian Forces.

• Canada DND (July 14/10) – Government of Canada to Acquire New Joint Support Ships.

• Canada DND, via WayBack (June 26/06) – Backgrounder: ‘Canada First’ Defence Procurement – Joint Support Ship.

• Canada DND, via WayBack (June 3/10) – The Department of National Defence and the Government of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.

• Seaspan for NSPS – Promo by the company, which eventually won the non-combat portion.

• Naval Technology – Berlin Class Fleet Auxiliary Vessels, Germany.

Related Ships

• Royal Canadian Navy – Supply ships; see also Tech Data. Protecteur Class, now retired; 2014 snapshot.

• Wikipedia – Protecteur class auxiliary vessel.

• BMT Defence – Aegir: A family of naval task force support ship designs. The alternative to the Berlin Class for JSS.

• DID Dutch Order Multi-Purpose Support Ship. A 28,000t JSS, similar to Canada’s original multi-role conception, and ordered in 2010. The Netherlands was going to sell it on completion, but decided that it was too valuable; HNLMS Karel Doornan is expected to be commissioned in 2015, at a cost of around $500 million.

• DID – Britain’s Tide Class: Supplies are From MARS. Britain ordered a larger 37,000t Aegir Class variant, built in South Korea, which will cost about 1/5 as much per ship as Canada’s smaller vessels.

• Navantia S.A. – AOR Cantabria. Was in the mix at one point, alongside the Berlin Class.

• Naval Technology – Patino Class Auxiliary Oiler and Replenishment Ship, Spain.

• Naval Technology – LPD Rotterdam Class Landing Platform Dock, Netherlands. A less ambitious, less expensive, and much more successful effort to create an amphibious forces ship.

• New Zealand Navy – HMNZS Canterbury – L421. New Zealand has its own, smaller multi-role ship design, which combines transport and some minor patrol tasks. The vessel was built by Merwede Shipyard in the Netherlands, under subcontract to Tenix. Unfortunately, it has stability issues.

News & Views

• CASR, via WayBack – BG Comparison – Joint Support Ship (JSS) Project – AOR or LPD. Includes an excellent comparison of the proposed JSS specifications with several existing ship classes – including the Dutch Rotterdam Class LSD.

• CASR (July 2014) – Bailing out NSPS: A National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy Fix. Part of which is simply contracting JSS abroad.

• CASR (December 2011) – Backgrounder: Joint Support Ship ( JSS ) Project – Now an AOR. Includes a table with the Berlin Class, Cantabria Class, JSS 2006 specs, and Aegir 26R.

• Frontline Defence (April 2010) – Canada’s JSS: Trendsetter …Follower …or Trap?

• Canadian Forces College (May 27/09) – Partnership, Balance and Flexibility: A Model for A Sustainable Naval Shipbuilding Sector in Canada. By Lieutenant-Commander John Charlebois.

• National Post (June 20/08) – J.L. Granatstein: Canada needs a navy that can do the job.

• Canadian Conference of Defence Associations (Nov 19/08) – Military/Naval Procurement in Canada: A Flawed Process [PDF] by Commander (Ret’d) Ken Bowering.

• Ottawa Citizen: David Pugliese Defence Watch Blog, via WayBack (Sept 2/08) – Navy Talking Points for Joint Support Ship.

Americas

The US Navy awarded Boeing a potential $4 billion contract modification for 78 F/A-18 Super Hornets. The F-18 Super Hornet is a twin-engine, multirole fighter capable of carrying air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles. The deal provides for the full-rate production and delivery of 61 F/A-18E and 17 F/A-18F aircraft for fiscal years 2018 through 2021. The F/A-18E is the single-seat variant and the F/A-18F is the tandem-seat variant of the Super Hornet. According to reports Boeing will start converting Block II Super Hornets to Block III in the next ten years. The Block III update consists of structural and sensor upgrades. It also adds the ability to receive and transfer large amounts of sensor data with other Super Hornets and the Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. A second-generation infrared search and track (IRST) radar will allow the aircraft to detect and track enemy aircraft without giving away its own position by using its radar. The Block III update also comes with a Rockwell Collins Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) radio and an advanced processor, which allows two or more F/A-18E/Fs to share IRST sensor data, giving a single fighter enough information to use for a targeting solution. Work under the contract modification will take place in the US and Canada and is scheduled to be completed in April 2024.

The Naval Air Systems Command contracted Northrop Grumman Systems with a $37.5 million modification in support of the E-6B Mercury aircraft. The deal includes procurement and delivery of seven MR-TCDL B-Kits, one Mission Avionics Systems Trainer B-Kit, and associated A- and B-Kit spares for the MR-TCDL upgrade. The Multi-Role Tactical Common Data Link (MR-TCDL) provides real-time networking connectivity to warfighters and commanders by enabling extremely fast exchange of data via ground, airborne and satellite networks. The E-6B Mercury is a modified version of the E-6A Mercury, which is a command post and communications relay aircraft. The E-6B features battle staff positions and an airborne launch control system equipped with land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles. Last month, an E-6B was damaged while being moved out of a Hangar at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Work for the contract modification will take place in Utah, California, Boston, and Massachusetts and will likely be completed in October 2021.

Middle East & Africa

Boeing handed over the first of 24 AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters to Qatar last week. Qatar initially requested the helos in 2012, with the contract being signed in 2016. The Apache is a twin-turboshaft attack helicopter that features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. The AH-64 was designed to perform in front-line environments, and to operate at night or day and during adverse weather conditions. Systems on the Apache include Target Acquisition and Designation System, Pilot Night Vision System, passive infrared countermeasures, GPS, and the IHADSS. The AH-64E is the latest version of the AH-64 and is also called the Apache Guardian. The gunship comes with new sensors, avionics and has improved night operation capabilities. Furthermore, the AH-64E helicopter can control a couple of UAVs. Weapons requested by Qatar in the original Foreign Military Sales notification included AGM-114R Hellfire laser-guided missiles, FIM-92H Stinger missiles with air-to-air launchers, and 70 mm Hydra air-to-surface rockets. The first Apache was handed over during a delivery ceremony at a Boeing plant in Arizona.

Europe

Two Bombardier Global 6000 business jets arrived in Turkey in order to be fitted with airborne stand-off jammers (Air SOJ). The Air SOJ is also known as the Remote Electronic Support/Electronic Attack Ability and has been initiated by the Turkish Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) to develop electronic warfare special mission aircraft. It is developed by Turkish defense company Aselsan. The system will be designed to detect, identify, jam, and spoof enemy communication systems and radars so that they cannot be used against friendly platforms. The Global 6000 business jet is part of the Bombardier Global Express family, which are large cabin 11,100 km range jets. It entered service in 2012. Defense Industries Presidency Chairman Ismail Demir and representatives of Turkish Aerospace Industries, Aselsan, Air Forces Command and Bombardier, examined the aircraft at TAI facilities. Under an agreement signed in August 2018, the SSB contracted Aselsan to develop and deliver four Air SOJ systems to the Turkish Air Force Command between 2023 and 2027.

During an event launched by British Minister for Defense Procurement, Stuart Andrew, companies from all over the UK came together in the first opportunity for suppliers to engage with the Government and Team Tempest partners over the future of Combat Air System development in Great Britain. The Tempest is a proposed stealth fighter aircraft to be designed and manufactured in the UK. A consortium named „Team Tempest“, consisting of the UK Ministry of Defense, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo and MBDA is developing the future fighter. The Tempest program aims to harness and develop UK capabilities that are critical for Next Generation Combat Air capability and to retain the UK’s position as a globally competitive leader through understanding of future concepts, technologies and capabilities. The recent event in Farnborough aimed for its participants to build connections and take part in a series of briefings outlining the capabilities and skills needed to shape the future of Combat Air System delivery in the UK

Asia-Pacific

Japan is planning to extend the range of it ASM-3 air-launched anti-ship missile, Jane’s reports. The country wants to develop long-range air-to-surface cruise missiles to bolster defense capabilities. The ASM-3 is a supersonic anti-ship missile that was jointly developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japanese Ministry of Defense to replace Japan’s 93 series of missiles. The missile is expected to be carried by Japan’s F-2 multirole fighters. However, a new advanced mission computer for the F-2 is yet to be made and the missile cannot yet be integrated with the aircraft. The Mitsubishi F-2 is a multirole fighter that entered service in 2008. On October 2018, it was reported, that Japan wants to replace its F-2 fighter with a indigenously made aircraft after rejecting proposals from Lockheed Martin, Boeing and BAE Systems. The domestic cruise missiles are also intended for use on the new fighters that will replace the F-2 after its retirement in 2030.

Today’s Video

Watch: Japanese New Generation Concept, Advanced Stealth Fighter Aircraft

Latest updates: Total rises to 68.

Replacement required
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War takes its toll on equipment, as well as men. In some cases, it wears out. In other cases, enemy fire or accidents destroy equipment. The USA has recognized this fact by funding wartime replacement expenditures as supplemental funding, which is outside the normal budgetary process. The intent is that this money will be spent on replacing equipment that has been worn out, damaged or destroyed, or will be used to provide specialized capabilities like MRAP mine-resistant vehicles that are directly related to front-line demands.

Admittedly, this hasn’t always been true. Politicians are what they are, and so are large organizations like the military. One area where this ethic has undoubtedly been honored, however, has been the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter fleet. This article covers US Army Wartime Replacement Aircraft (WRA) AH-64D Longbow buys, which are the only truly new attack helicopters in the America’s inventory. That will change with the new Block III model, which is more advanced than the WRAs.

• AH-64D Program: Past and Present [updated]
  
• AH-64D WRAs: Program Contracts [updated]
  
• The AH-64’s Future
  
• Additional Readings [NEW]
  

AH-64D Program: Past and Present

AH-64A & AH-64D Longbow
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The current contract brings the number of war-replacement AH-64 aircraft (sometimes called WRAs) under contract to 68. These WRAs supplement the 720 or so AH-64s that survive as of October 2005, out of the 821 AH-64s originally built for the US Army.

Apache helicopters are in very heavy demand as escorts for other helicopters in the war zones, to the point that the AH-64 fleet had logged more than 2 million flight hours by April 2006 – nearly 1/3 of which had been logged after Sept. 11/01. Apaches have also taken losses in combat. Even armor rated to stop 23mm cannon shells may not survive a missile hit, and helicopters are relatively fragile war machines, that can be seriously damaged if they take enough fire in smaller calibers, or endure an unlucky strike in the wrong place.

That’s a problem, because with the collapse of the RAH-66 Comanche program, and re-dedication of its funding into the ARH-70 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH, future now uncertain), the UH-145 Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), and other programs, the AH-64 Apache will remain the USA’s primary attack helicopter for several more decades.

While a small percentage of the coming Block III Apaches will be new-build machines, the WRA Apaches will be the only new-build AH-64Ds in the fleet for a little while. Most of the USA’s fleet was remanufactured from AH-64A Apaches to AH-64D Apache Longbow status over a 10-year period, under 2 multi-year contracts that ran for 5 years each. These helicopters received equipment upgrades, and were also rebuilt to “zero flight hours” condition.

• The first multi-year contract was for 232 helicopters, and covered Lots I-V. A total of 284 helicopters, which includes the Lot VI helicopters from the second multi-year contract, were built to the AH-64D Block I standard.

• Another 217 helicopters in Lots VII-X were built to the AH-64D Block II standard, which adds improved electronics and software. All were built during the second multi-year contract period.

• The lateness of the JTRS program, and other issues, have delayed the future Block III model, and so January 2007 saw a contract to convert another 96 American AH-64As to the AH-64D “Extended Block II” standard.

Note that Block II+ or “Extended Block II” Apaches are the same as the current retrofitted standard for the Block II aircraft fleet, except for minor hardware differences associated with advancing electronics and improved sub-systems. The “Extended” or “Block II+” simply denotes a Block II machine that was remanufactured or built outside of the 2 big multi-year contracts noted above. Most of these helicopters will eventually be remanufactured again under current plans, this time to Block III status.

The new-build WRA Block II+ helicopters are assembled on the same line as the remanufactured Apaches, which is located in Mesa, Arizona. That facility holds the distinction of being the first Boeing location to win a Shingo Prize for manufacturing excellence (2005), due to its work in process improvement and lean production. Williams informs DID that AH-64 remanufacturing rates are fairly stable right now at about 3 US Army AH-64Ds per month, plus another 1-2 under the UAE’s program. In contrast, annual WRA contracts are variable, and use spare capacity within the facility.

Boeing is currently delivering new-build AH-64D Block II+ WRAs within 28 months of contract issue, and total orders stand at 68.

AH-64D WRAs: Program Contracts

AH-64D Longbow
(click to view full)

Please note that the full fly-away cost of an AH-64D helicopter cannot be calculated from any of the contracts below. These contracts cover only AH-64D airframes and integration, or involve long lead-time items that must be ordered early. Expensive items like GE’s T700 engines, the Longbow radar mast, Arrowhead sensors, weapons, communications equipment etc. are bought separately as “government furnished equipment.” The contracts below provide for assembly and integration at Boeing, but they do not buy the equipment itself.

Unless otherwise noted, Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Co. in Mesa, AZ is the contractor, and contracts are managed by the US Army Aviation and Missile Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL.

March 22/19: Qatar Boeing handed over the first of 24 AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters to Qatar last week. Qatar initially requested the helos in 2012, with the contract being signed in 2016. The Apache is a twin-turboshaft attack helicopter that features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. The AH-64 was designed to perform in front-line environments, and to operate at night or day and during adverse weather conditions. Systems on the Apache include Target Acquisition and Designation System, Pilot Night Vision System, passive infrared countermeasures, GPS, and the IHADSS. The AH-64E is the latest version of the AH-64 and is also called the Apache Guardian. The gunship comes with new sensors, avionics and has improved night operation capabilities. Furthermore, the AH-64E helicopter can control a couple of UAVs. Weapons requested by Qatar in the original Foreign Military Sales notification included AGM-114R Hellfire laser-guided missiles, FIM-92H Stinger missiles with air-to-air launchers, and 70 mm Hydra air-to-surface rockets. The first Apache was handed over during a delivery ceremony at a Boeing plant in Arizona.

April 25/17: Singapore is to upgrade their fleet of AH-64D Apache helicopters. The Ministry of Defense announced that it the program aims to equip the country’s existing Apache rotorcraft with enhanced Helicopter Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems and updated satellite communication solutions in a drive to enhance their mission capabilities. While the government added that the upgrade program is expected to be complete within the next few years, they did not disclose an official date. Approximately 20 Ah-64D helicopters have been operated by Singapore’s 120 Squadron since 2006.

Nov 1/11: A $29.9 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for 2 AH-64D Apache War Replacement Aircraft. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with an estimated completion date of Oct 31/13. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W58RGZ-05-C-0274).

This brings the total ordered so far to 68.

Feb 4/11: A $70 million firm-fixed-price contract for 14 new build AH-64D war replacement aircraft. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/12. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W58RGZ-05-C-0274).

July 29/08: A $79.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for 5 war replacement AH-64D Apache Longbow Block II+ attack helicopters. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ and is expected to be complete by April 30/11. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Dec 20/07 and one bid was received (W58RGZ-05-C-0274).

March 14/07: A $15.5 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for war replacement AH-64D Apache Longbow aircraft. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ and is expected to be complete by May 31/10. This was a sole source contract initiated on April 4/07 (W58RGZ-05-C-0274).

Feb 7/07: Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Co in Mesa, AZ received a $136.9 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract “for procurement of war replacement AH-64D Apache Longbow aircraft.” Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ and is expected to be complete by April 10/11. This was a sole source contract initiated on Jan 31/07 by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-05-C-0274).

Just before this contract was announced, a pair of Apaches were lost in Iraq. The causes were reported as 12.7mm machine gun fire and an SA-7 Strela man-portable missile.

Nov 1/06: A $152 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for war replacement AH-64D Apache Longbow Aircraft. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ and is expected to be complete by Nov 30/09. This was a sole source contract initiated on July 19/06 (W58RGZ-05-C-0274).

May 31/06: A $40.9 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for AH-64D Apache Longbow aircraft. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ and is expected to be complete by Oct 31/08. This was a sole source contract initiated on Oct 31/05 (W58RGZ-05-C-0274).

Sept 26/05: A $5.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for AH-64D Apache Longbow aircraft. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ and is expected to be complete by Oct 31/07. This was a sole source contract initiated on June 2/05 (W58RGZ-05-C-0274).

The AH-64’s Future

No sunset yet.

With the cancellation of the RAH-66 Comanche next-generation attack/scout helicopter in 2001, the US Army was forced to reconsider its plans for the AH-64 Apache. Instead of the Comanche, it will field the AH-64D Block III Apache, with capabilities that include improved communications, the ability to take feeds from or even control UAV drones in their area, enhanced engines and drive systems, a new composite rotor blade, and extended sensor range.

AH-64D Block III deliveries are currently scheduled to begin in 2011, under yet another remanufacturing program. This program is currently slated to begin by updating the 284 AH-64D Block 1 helicopters via a second remanufacturing process. If all goes well and no further versions are called for, they would remanufacture the Block II fleet to AH-64D Block III standard by 2020.

There are reports that the remaining 100 or so AH-64A attack helicopters in the Army’s fleet will be offered to foreign buyers, most of whom are likely to order AH-64D remanufacturing upgrades of their own.

Additional Readings & Sources

DID thanks Boeing’s AH-64D WRA Program Manager Travis Williams, and others at Boeing, who helped to put these purchases in context.

• DID – Boeing Remanufactures AH-64A Apaches to AH-64D Block II. This will also be the new-build WRA standard.

• DID – Apache Block III Program: The Once and Future Attack Helicopter.

Americas

The US Air Force contracted Goodrich Corp. with $92.9 million to help develop ISR Sensor technology. The deal includes Hyperspectral Imaging, AgilePod®, Standoff High Resolution Imaging Next Era, and Multi-Mode Lidar research and development. The company will help the Air Force Research Laboratory examine and integrate electro-optical, infrared, radio frequency, multispectral and hyperspectral imaging, lidar and related Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems. Goodrich Corporation supplies aerospace components, systems, and services for the commercial and general aviation airplane, and defense as well as space markets. The company provides a range of actuators, including primary and secondary flight controls, helicopter main and tail rotor actuation, engine and nacelle actuation, utility actuation, precision weapon actuation, and land vehicle actuation products, landing gear systems, and aircraft wheels and brakes. Work for the contract will take place in Westford, Massachusetts and is scheduled to be completed by September 29, 2025.

The Naval Air Systems Command awarded Boeing a $326.3 million Delivery Order to develop, integrate and test Increment 3 Block capabilities into the P-8A aircraft for the US Navy as well as the government of Australia. The P-8A Poseidon is derived from Boeing’s 737-800 and designed for anti-surface and submarine warfare, broad-area maritime missions, littoral operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It features the Raytheon APY-10 multi-mission surface search radar. Work under the deal will take place in Washington, New York, Illinois, California, Maryland, Arizona, Missouri as well as Florida and is expected to be finished in March 2024.

Raytheon’s Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) will begin live testing at Wallops Island Test Facility, the company announced on Tuesday. The EASR is the newest sensor in the US Navy’s SPY-6 family of radars. It is the Navy’s next generation radar for aircraft carriers and amphibious warfare that provides simultaneous anti-air and anti-surface warfare, electronic protection and air traffic control capabilities. The radar just recently completed subsystem testing at Raytheon’s Near Field Range in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Raytheon is building two variants of EASR: a single-face rotating array designated AN/SPY-6(V)2 for amphibious assault ships and Nimitz class carriers, and a three fixed-face array designated AN/SPY-6(V)3 for Ford class aircraft carriers and the future FFG(X) guided missile frigates. According to Raytheon, the radar will undergo system-level testing, tracking a variety of aircraft through the end of 2019 once it is up and running.

Middle East & Africa

Israel’s Missile Defense Organization and the US Missile Defense Agency successfully completed a series of interception tests with the David’s Sling weapon system. Israeli company Rafael carried out the experiments at a test site in southern Israel. During the trials, advanced capabilities of the David’s Sling missile system were tested in a new version developed for a number of scenarios to simulate future threats the system may face during a confrontation. David’s Sling is a joint Israeli-US project, with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems collaborating with US defense contractor Raytheon. The weapon system is also called „Magic Wand“ and became operational in 2017. It is designed to intercept tactical ballistic missiles, medium- to long-range rockets, as well as cruise missiles fired with ranges of 40 to 300 km.

Europe

The US Air Force sent six B-52 long-range bombers to the UK for a series of training activities over Europe. The aircraft along with 450 airmen arrived at Royal Air Force Fairford on Thursday. The United States has deployed strategic bombers in Europe at least once a year since 2014. The current deployment marks the largest deployment of the bombers to Europe since Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. The Boeing B-52 is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber that has been utilized by the US Air Force since the 1950s and can carry conventional as well as nuclear weapons. The current training activities will test how the bombers can conduct missions out of Fairford and will familiarize aircrews with operations over Europe, including the Norwegian Sea, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean.

Asia-Pacific

KT Consulting won an $11.9 million firm-fixed-price task order for F-16 Weapons System support. The contract involves a Foreign Military Sale to Singapore. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine, supersonic multirole fighter. Early fighters could be armed with up to six AIM-9 Sidewinder, heat-seeking, short-range air-to-air missiles (AAM), and radar guided AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range AAMs. The recent versions of the aircraft support AIM-120 AMRAAM. The Republic of Singapore Air Force operates 62 F-16 Fighting Falcons, all of which are advanced F-16C/D block 52 aircraft. These aircraft are equipped with state-of the-art armament, including AIM-120 AMRAAM as well as presumably the Israeli Python 4 missile linked to a DASH-3 Helmet Mounted Sight. Work will take place at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico and is scheduled to be finished by March 31, 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,435,581 and Singapore National Funds in the amount of $34,969 are being obligated at the time of award.

The Naval Air Systems Command awarded Lockheed Martin a $264.7 million modification for additional operation and technical services in support of the government of Korea’s F-35 Lightning II program. The stealth F-35A is supposed to provide the Republic of Korea (ROK) with enhanced capability to protect safety and security. The ROK signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance between the US and Korea for 40 F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing variant jets with initial deliveries beginning in 2018. The first Korean F-35A made its debut in March 2018. It is expected that the aircraft will start to deliver to Chongju Air Base in spring 2019. Work under the modification will take place in Fort Worth, Texas and is scheduled to be completed in June 2020. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $264,655,025 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

Today’s Video

Watch: Beijing to build another base in the South China Sea despite threats from American

RSAF F-16C/Ds
(click to view full)

In September 2013, Singapore confirmed its much-anticipated intent to upgrade its F-16C/Ds with improved radars and other changes. By January 2014, that was a published DSCA request. There’s no firm timeline just yet, but the proposal is part of wider-ranging military improvements underway in Singapore. It’s also seen as an early example to many other F-16 operators around the world, who respect Singapore’s as a discerning buyer and may wish to do the same thing.

That decision is expected to launch at least 2 fierce competitions. One will be between Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems. The other will be between Raytheon and Northrop Grumman.

RSAF: The Bigger Picture

F-5S on highway
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After the 2004 sale to Thailand of the RSAF’s initial handful of F-16A/B fighters, the RSAF became an all Block 52 force, built with fighters accepted between 1998 – 2004. Their planes aren’t entirely standard set. The long dorsal spine on many F-16Ds holds extra electronic countermeasures, and the planes reportedly carry a number of Israeli systems within, including DASH-III helmet mounted displays.

Singapore has about 14 F-16C/Ds based in the USA for training, and another 48 F-16C/Ds in Singapore at Changi AB and Tengah AB. Current plans indicate an intent to upgrade up to 60 planes at about $40.5 million per plane.

Basing will also change. In the near future, they plan to expand Changi and Tengah and consolidate around both facilities, while closing Paya Lebar AB. Paya Lebar’s F-15SGs, upgraded F-5S interceptors, and C-130 transports will go elsewhere, though the 40 or so F-5s are due for phase out in the near future.

RSAF F-16D-52
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There is some question as to whether the F-5s will be replaced, though a March 2013 announcement that Singapore would buy more F-15SGs seems to indicate at least partial near-term replacement. The rest of that question hinges on Singapore’s timeline for acquiring F-35s. If they’re bought soon, they’ll grow the fleet, effectively replacing the F-5S with some F-16C/Ds. If Singapore postpones their F-35 buy, they will pay less per plane, and the F-35s will become de facto replacements for the F-16+ fleet as they age out. Upgrading the F-16s might suggest to some that Singapore intends to delay the F-35s, especially since they recently elected to expand their F-15SG fleet instead of making an expected announcement about 12 F-35Bs. In his September 2013 statement, Minister for Defence Dr. Ng Eng Hen would say only that Singapore continues to evaluate the F-35’s suitability “in meeting our long-term security needs to further modernise our fighter fleet and replace our older aircraft.”

Other Changes

Aster-30
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Singapore’s consolidation into just 2 main air bases adds operational risk to their future fleet, but protection is also being improved. Beyond Singapore’s confirmed F-16 upgrades and new F-15SGs, new IAI Gulfstream G550 CAEW jets have improved their advance airborne warning.

On the ground, new mobile Spyder air defense systems from RAFAEL offer a more modern, longer-range complement to the legacy Rapier systems from Britain. At the top tier, MBDA’s long-range Aster-30 missiles will soon replace Raytheon’s MIM-23 I-Hawks on land, offering Singapore the ability to intercept short range ballistic missiles as well as aircraft, cruise missiles, etc. Singapore’s Formidable Class frigates already use a combination of Aster-15 and Aster-30 missiles, so the land-based Aster-30 buy will draw on an existing support network.

None of Singapore’s immediate neighbors can match this array, and Singapore’s qualitative advantage is large enough that it’s very unlikely anyone would test it. The city-state is extremely serious about its defense, with a long history of strong spending in this area. That well-known commitment, and the visibility of its strategic position, ensures that Singapore’s defense choices get attention far beyond their immediate neighborhood.

The Competitions

RACR
click for video

Singapore has a number of options with respect to their F-16s.

Contractor. First of all, Lockheed Martin and BAE can be expected to compete hard for the upgrade work. Lockheed Martin is the manufacturer, but Britain has picked up significant F-16 upgrade wins in the USA and around the world.

AESA. Then there’s the radar question. The new radars will use advanced AESA technology, improving range/ discrimination by 2x – 3x, offering entirely new modes of operation, and sharply reducing maintenance costs.

NGC’s SABR
click for video

Lockheed Martin recently announced that Northrop Grumman’s SABR radar would be the cornerstone of its F-16V offering, which was unveiled at the 2012 Singapore air show. The F-16V can be bought as an upgrade, or as new fighters. Modernized American and Taiwanese F-16s will also use SABR.

On the other hand, South Korea picked Raytheon’s RACR radar for their advanced F-16 upgrade, and Singapore already flies with related Raytheon AN/APG-63v3 AESA radars in its 20 new F-15SGs. If Singapore also picks RACR for its F-16s, in order to take advantage of common software and radar mode development, it will give Raytheon a significant and much-needed boost in the global F-16 refit competition.

There’s also the non-US option of using the Israeli ELM-2052 AESA, but the US reportedly took protectionist measures and threatened to cut off F-16 support if Israel introduced that radar to its own F-16s. Export to Singapore seems unlikely.

Contracts & Key Events

RSAF F-16D-52
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March 21/19: Weapons System Support KT Consulting won an $11.9 million firm-fixed-price task order for F-16 Weapons System support. The contract involves a Foreign Military Sale to Singapore. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine, supersonic multirole fighter. Early fighters could be armed with up to six AIM-9 Sidewinder, heat-seeking, short-range air-to-air missiles (AAM), and radar guided AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range AAMs. The recent versions of the aircraft support AIM-120 AMRAAM. The Republic of Singapore Air Force operates 62 F-16 Fighting Falcons, all of which are advanced F-16C/D block 52 aircraft. These aircraft are equipped with state-of the-art armament, including AIM-120 AMRAAM as well as presumably the Israeli Python 4 missile linked to a DASH-3 Helmet Mounted Sight. Work will take place at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico and is scheduled to be finished by March 31, 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,435,581 and Singapore National Funds in the amount of $34,969 are being obligated at the time of award.

December 3/15: The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded a $914 million contract to Lockheed Martin to upgrade F-16 aircraft for the government of Singapore. The work is to be carried out at Fort Worth, Texas. The number of aircraft to be upgraded is unknown, but the DoD notified Congress that they had approved the sale of upgrades for 60 fighters in 2014. The Singapore Air Force announced earlier this year that it was planning a major overhaul of its current fleet, with enhancements including laser-designated JDAM munitions, air-to-air weapons, datalink capability and helmet mounted displays, in addition to an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system.

July 6/15: Singapore’s Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) has released more information on its plans to upgrade the RSAF’s fleet of F-16C/D fighters. The upgrades will take place in phases from 2016 onward, with various capability enhancements planned. These include laser-designated JDAM munitions, air-to-air weapons, datalink capability and helmet mounted displays, as well as an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system, as per a previous DSCA request. The AESA system is thought to be the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) system. Singapore announced its intention to upgrade its F-16s in 2013, with Lockheed Martin seemingly tipped to win the upgrade contract.

March 19/15: Lockheed tipped to win. Singapore is reportedly close to signing a contract with Lockheed Martin to upgrade its F-16s, after a cancelled deal with BAE in November. The country initially confirmed its intention to upgrade the fleet in September 2013.

Feb 10/14: Boeing? Boeing DSS VP for business development and strategy Chris Raymond says that Boeing would be interested in bidding, if Singapore were to open their F-16 upgrade program to competition. Boeing is an unlikely competitor, given their thin record servicing and enhancing global F-15 fleets. Raymond cites their experience with the QF-16 conversion, and with other fighter and aircraft upgrades. They could also leverage an existing relationship with the RSAF, supporting their F-15SG fighters and AH-64D Apache helicopters.

Lockheed Martin has indicated that NGC’s SABR radar is their preferred choice for upgrades, and for new-build F-16Vs. BAE is tied to Raytheon’s RACR via their South Korean experience. Boeing doesn’t have an official allegiance, but their in-production fighters both carry Raytheon AESA radars, and there’s a RACR variant for F/A-18A-D upgrades. Sources: Aviation Week, “Boeing Could Bid On Singapore F-16s”.

Jan 14/14: DSCA. The US DSCA details Singapore’s official request to upgrade 60 F-16C/D+ Block 52 fighters to something like the F-16V standard, at a cost of up to $2.43 billion ($40.5 million per plane). That’s about 2/3 the cost of buying similar F-16E/F Block 60 aircraft new off of the production line.

Upgrades would include:

• 70 Active Electronically Scanned Array Radars (AESA). Note that no pick is being made here between Raytheon’s RACR (South Korea) or Northrop Grumman’s SABR (Taiwan, US ANG).
  
• 70 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS)
  
• 70 LN-260 Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation Systems (GPS/INS)
  
• 70 APX-125 Advanced Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Combined Interrogator Transponders
  
• 1 AIS Interface Test Adapters for software updates
  
• 1 Classified Computer Program Identification Numbers (CPINs)
  
• Site surveys and construction. Note that Singapore is busy consolidating its air bases after removing Paya Lebar.
  
• Also included: flight test of the new configuration; aircraft ferry services with aerial refueling support; a Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS); Modular Mission Computers, a software maintenance facility, cockpit multifunction displays, radios, secure communications, video recorders; maintenance, repair and return, aircraft and ground support equipment, spare and repair parts, tool and test equipment; engine support equipment, publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment, and other forms of US Government and contractor support.

They also want a set of test weapons:

• 3 AIM-9X Block II Captive Air Training Missiles. Singapore already fields AIM-9X on its F-15SGs.
  
• 3 TGM-65G Maverick Missiles for testing and integration. GM-65K is the latest standard.
  
• 4 GBU-50 Guided Bomb Units (GBU) for testing and integration (2,000 pound laser-guided bunker-buster)
  
• 5 GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions for testing and integration (500 pound GPS)
  
• 3 CBU-105 (D-4)/B Sensor Fused Weapons for testing and integration (GPS anti-armor cluster bomb)
  
• 4 GBU-49 Enhanced Paveways for testing and integration (500 pound GPS/laser)
  
• 2 DSU-38 Laser Seekers for testing and integration
  
• 6 GBU-12 Paveway II, Guidance Control Units (used in 500 pound laser-guided)

Contractors aren’t mentioned specifically, implying that they’re still to be chosen by Singapore. In terms of overall priorities, Minister for Defence Dr. Ng Eng Hen said recently that the F-16 fleet’s condition and prospective upgrades meant that they were in “no particular hurry” to make an F-35 decision, though it’s a “serious consideration.” Sources: DSCA #13-67 | Defense News, “US: Singapore To Buy Upgrade For Its F-16 Fighter Jets”.

DSCA request: F-16 upgrades

Sept 16/13: Singapore’s Minister for Defence Dr. Ng Eng Hen’s Parliamentary reply confirms that Singapore has picked MBDA’s Aster-30 as its upper-tier air defense system on land, and will upgrade their F-16s. The planes will be refitted with new electronics and systems, and the RSAF also plans to extend their service lives. Sources: Singapore MINDEF, “Reply by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen to Parliamentary Question on Relocation of Paya Lebar Air Base”.

Additional Readings

• YouTube – New Lockheed Martin F-16V Singapore Airshow 2012 HD. By LMCO.

• DID – South Korea Looking to Upgrade its KF-16 Fighters. They picked Raytheon’s RACR AESA radar.

• DID – Import or Die: Taiwan’s (Un?)Stalled Force Modernization. Taiwan’s F-16s will carry Northrop Grumman’s SABR radar, picked for them by the USAF.

• DID – Singapore’s RSAF Decides to Fly Like An Eagle. In April 2013, it became clear that Singapore would grow their F-15SG fleet again, instead of buying 12 F-35Bs.

News & Views

• Fort Worth Star-Telegram (June 11/14) – At Alliance, BAE Systems challenges Lockheed on F-16 upgrades.

• Aviation Week (Feb 3/14) – Fast-Changing Trends In Asia Fighter Market

• DID (Sept 18/13) – Singapore’s Steps: Long-Range Aster-30 Defensive Missiles on Land & Sea.

• Lockheed Martin (Feb 15/12) – Lockheed Martin’s Fighting Falcon Evolves With New F-16V

• Defense News (March 22/10) – [F-5] Retirement or Replacement?

• DTI (Jan-Feb. 2008) – Target Acquisition: MAST Highlights Missile Defense Concepts. Says that the Formidable Class carries both Aster-15s and Aster-30s, along with the Herakles active radar and Sylver A50 launchers.

Americas

Raytheon is being contracted to support the US Navy with Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) integration and production efforts. Priced at $114 million, the contract provides for continued combat system integration and test services including engineering and training; software and depot maintenance, as well as field engineering services and procurement of spare parts. The AMDR, designated AN/SPY-6(V), will fulfill integrated Air and Missile Defense requirements for multiple ship classes. The AN/SPY-6 is 30 times more sensitive than its predecessor, its additional sensitivity supercharges the vessel’s capabilities in anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defense. Work will be performed at multiple locations throughout the US. They include Marlborough, Massachusetts; Kauai, Hawaii; Portsmouth, Rhode Island; San Diego, California; Fair Lakes, Virginia and Moorestown, New Jersey. The contract includes options which could bring the total value of the order to $357 million and is expected to be completed by December 2019.

Boeing is receiving additional funding to continue research on the MQ-25 Stingray. The contract modification is valued at $90.4 million and is expected to be completed in August 2024. Under the contract, Boeing will perform a number of studies and analysis related to the engineering, manufacturing and development phase of the MQ-25 Stingray. The Stingray will be the Navy’s next ‘Group 5’ aircraft. With its implementation the US Navy seeks to close the gap with between UAS and manned aircraft by adding a system that is designed from the outset to operate within meters or less of large manned aircraft. The UAV will have the capacity to carry 15,000 pounds of fuel and will be used to refuel the F/A-18 Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, and F-35C fighter jets, extending their range and time in the air significantly. Work will be performed at Boeing’s factory in St. Louis, Missouri.

The US Navy and Army are buying more GQM-163A Coyote target missiles. Orbital Sciences will deliver 14 full-rate production Lot 13 missiles to the Navy and one to the US Army at a cost of $45.5 million. The GQM-163A Coyote supersonic sea skimming target is designed to provide an affordable target to simulate supersonic sea-skimming and other emerging supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles. It also supports research in ship-defense systems and fleet training. The supersonic target drone is designed to help Navy ship crews learn to defend themselves against modern anti-ship missiles like the French Exocet and the Russian-made SS-N-22 Sunburn and SS-NX-26 Oniks. The Coyote target missile design integrates a 4-inlet, solid-fuel ducted-rocket ramjet propulsion system into a compact missile airframe 18 feet long and 14 inches in diameter. The non-recoverable target missile achieves cruise speeds of over Mach 2.5, with a range of approximately 60 nautical miles at altitudes of less than 20 feet above the sea surface. Work will be performed in Chandler, Arizona; Camden, Arkansas; Vergennes, Vermont; Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Hollister, California. Performance of the contract is scheduled for completion by December 2022.

Middle East & Africa

The Burkinabe Army is the latest known user of Otokar’s Cobra APC, as reported by Jane’s. Burkina Faso showed off its new armoured vehicles during the country’s Independence Day parade in Manga on December 11. The Cobra family of vehicles has been in service since 1997. The vehicles have a compact profile and are transportable by aircraft, helicopter, truck and rail. The Cobra has an all-welded steel hull with wide, fully opening side and rear doors, allowing rapid exit of the crew when required. The APCs can be fitted with various typed of weapon stations and turrets that can be armed with 40mm grenade launchers and 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine guns. A V8 turbo diesel engine provides 190hp, allowing for a maximum road speed of 70 mph. The vehicle is manned by two crew and can carry a further nine. A source told Jane’s that an unspecified number of Cobras were purchased, some of which were delivered since September. The first batch of five APCs is supporting counter-insurgency operations in the country’s eastern region. Other operators include Algeria, Bahrain, Nigeria, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

Europe

Hungary becomes the launch customer of Saab’s Deployable Aircraft Maintenance Facility (DAM). According to the company, DAM is a mobile hangar solution that enables enhanced aircraft maintenance capacity combined with superior protection. DAM provides capability equivalent to stationary maintenance infrastructure, but at a fraction of the cost. The facility requires minimum logistical footprint and maintenance. DAM is highly flexible and can be rapidly deployed, making it suitable for remotely located and dispersed forward bases. DAM is comprised of a robust aluminium frame covered by a high-strength PVC fabric. A range of container assemblies give DAM an enhanced workshop capacity. DAM can be deployed within 48 hours, with assembly done with manpower only. Hungary is currently operating 14 Gripen fighter jets and will receive its new Deployable Aircraft Maintenance Facility sometime in 2019.

France launches a new military imaging satellite. CSO-1 is the first of three identical satellites, which are replacing France’s ageing Helios constellation. The next-generation of satellites is expected to achieve IOC by 2021 and will provide European military and civilian intelligence agencies with 800 very high-resolution black and white, color, and infrared images per day. CSO-1 and CSO-3 (scheduled to launch in 2021), will each perform reconnaissance missions at 800 km altitude; CSO-2 will join its sister satellite in 2020 and will conduct identification missions at an altitude of 480 km. The CSO satellites are a joint product of Airbus Defense and Space and Thales Alenia Space. The constellation is a component of Europe’s €1.75 billion MUSIS, or Multinational Space-based Imaging System.

Asia-Pacific

The Japanese government agrees on a multi-billion defense procurement plan. Released on Tuesday afternoon, the defense plan seeks to buy a number of fighter jets shipborne unmanned aircraft and submarines over the next five-years at a cost of $243 billion. The document, known the National Defense Program Guidelines and the Mid-Term Defense Plan, includes the purchase of 105 additional F-35 Lightning II JSFs, a VTOL UAS for its new multipurpose destroyers and 12 more Kawasaki P-1 maritime surveillance planes. The defense-spending plan will also likely boost Japan’s industry, due to several projects being handled by local companies.

Today’s Video

Watch: Lockheed Delivers First LRASM Anti-Ship-Missiles for B-1B Lancer

AMDR testbed
(click to view full)

The US Navy’s Dual-Band Radar that equips its forthcoming Gerald R. Ford class super-carriers replaces several different radars with a single back-end. Merging Raytheon’s X-band SPY-3 with Lockheed Martin’s S-band VSR allows fewer radar antennas, faster response time, faster adaptation to new situations, one-step upgrades to the radar suite as a whole, and better utilization of the ship’s power, electronics, and bandwidth.

Rather than using that existing Dual-Band Radar design in new surface combatant ships, however, the “Air and Missile Defense Radar” (AMDR) aims to fulfill DG-51 Flight III destroyer needs through a new competition for a similar dual-band radar. It could end up being a big deal for the winning radar manufacturer, and for the fleet. If, and only if, the technical, power, and weight challenges can be mastered at an affordable price.

AMDR: The Program

DDG-77 USS O’Kane
(click to view full)

Faced with a growing array of advanced threats, the US Navy confronted a need for more dual-band naval radars among its top-end surface warships. Both CG (X) and FSC were proposed for cancellation in the FY 2011 defense budget, but the “Air and Missile Defense Radar” (AMDR) is expected to continue as the radar centerpiece for their true successor: the DDG-51 Flight III Arleigh Burke Class.

Rather than extending or modifying the existing Dual Band Radar combination used on its DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class, aimed to fulfill these need through a re-opened competition. The resulting AMDR radar will have 3 components:

• The AMDR-S radar will provide wide-area volume search, tracking, Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) discrimination, and missile communications. While top-tier air and missile defense vessels are “blue water” ships by nature, critical naval chokepoints and war scenarios don’t always give commanders a choice. As such AMDR requirements also call for defense against very low observable/very low flyer (VLO/VLF) threats in heavy land, sea, and rain clutter, where S-band has some advantages.

• The AMDR-X radar will provide horizon search, precision tracing, missile communications, and final illumination guidance to targets. It will be available in AMDR sets 13 onward. The first 12 ship sets will use an upgraded version of Northrop Grumman’s in-service SPQ-9B radar instead.

• The back-end Radar Suite Controller (RSC) will perform all coordination, ensuring that the radars work well together.

Design goals explicitly involve hardware and software modularity, future technology, insertion, and open architectures. The limitations of the DDG-51 ship design forced some flexibility all by itself, and the initial specification added that it’s “designed to be scalable to accommodate current and future mission requirements for multiple platforms.”

The 1st DDG 51 Flight III destroyer will be part of the FY 2013 – 2017 multi-year award, beginning with long-lead materials ordered in FY 2015, and built as the 2nd ship ordered in FY 2016 (DDG 123). By the end of the multi-year contract, which was issued in May 2013, the USN can contract for 3 AMDR/Flt III vessels with 14′ diameter AMDR-S radar faceplates, and integrated control involving the smaller rotating AN/SPQ-9B+ X-band radar. If AMDR-S isn’t ready, or other issues arise, the Navy could decide to delay the FLight III changes to FY 2017, or even to move them outside the contract. Even if orders begin on time, Flight III buys are expected to continue trough 2022, and possibly through 2031.

Budget documents to date are all for Research, Development, Testing & Evaluation:

AMDR: Opportunities and Challenges

DDG-1000 w. DBR
(click to view full)

The demand for adjustable size is the key to AMDR’s larger opportunity. If the adjustments can be taken far enough, it could give the Navy an opportunity to add or retrofit AMDR to some of its 60+ serving Arleigh Burke Class ships, DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class destroyers, or later carriers of the CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford Class.

On the smaller end, it’s very nice to have AMDR capabilities available in a common core system for a wider range of vessels. More ships mounting AMDR would reduce fleet-wide maintenance & training investments. It would also mean that each AMDR hardware or software improvement becomes available improve many more ships throughout the fleet.

At the larger end of the scale, it’s good news because the US Navy has determined that it needs a 20’+ diameter AMDR-S radar, in order to completely fulfill expected future ballistic missile defense and air defense needs. AMDR offers them the opportunity to find a suitable ship based on a known and understood core system.

The bad news is that any retrofit, or even installation in new “DDG-51 Flight III” variants, will be more complicated than it appears.

The visible face of a naval radar is only the tip of the iceberg. Most of its weight and space comes from its need for 2 things: power, and cooling. More powerful radars usually need more power to drive them, which can tax the limited 7.5 MW capacity an older ship like the DDG-51 Flight I/II/IIAs. More power also means more cooling much of the time. Power storage, power conversion, and cooling require weight and space. All of which are usually in short supply on a warship. Even if that space exists, the additional equipment and antennas must be installed without unduly affecting the ship’s balance and center of gravity, and hence its seakeeping abilities.

AEGIS operations
(click to view full)

In 2009, the US Congressional Research Services’ “Navy DDG-1000 and DDG-51 Destroyer Programs: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress” report update (#RL32109) explained the potential impact:

“Multiple industry sources have briefed CRS on their proposals for modifying the DDG-51 design to include an active-array radar with greater capability than the SPY-1. If the DDG-51 hull is not lengthened, then modifying the DDG-51 design to include an improved radar would require removing the 5-inch gun to make space and weight available for additional equipment needed to support operations with the improved radar. Lengthening the hull might provide enough additional space and weight capacity to permit the 5-inch gun to be retained.75 Supporting equipment to be installed would include an additional electrical generator and additional cooling equipment.76 The best location for the generator might be in one of the ship’s two helicopter hangar spots, which would reduce the ship’s helicopter hangar capacity from two helicopters to one.”

An October 2008 report from the right-wing Heritage Foundation draws on other sources to note that weight shifts can also create issues:

“…SPY-1E [active array] radar could affect the stability of the upgraded Arleigh Burkes because the radar’s phased-array panels weigh more than the panels of the earlier SPY-1 radar, which it will replace. While the SPY-1E’s weight is concentrated more in the panels, freeing more space below deck,[78] this greater weight would be added to the ship’s superstructure. Combined with the DDG-51’s relatively narrow hull width and short length, this could cause stability problems, particularly when sailing in rough weather.”

Obviously, those kinds of trades are less than ideal, but they may be necessary. Whether, how many, and which trades end being necessary, depends on the precise technical details of Raytheon’s offering, and of expected ship changes in Flight III.

AMDR: The Contenders Raytheon

Raytheon on AMDR
click for video

Raytheon won. They went into AMDR with a lot of experience. First of all, they developed both the existing Dual-Band Radar’s Radar Suite Controller, and the accompanying SPY-3 X-band radars that are mounted on DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class battlecruisers and CVN-78 Ford Class supercarriers. The dual X/S band system that will equip the Cobra Judy (USNS Observation Island) Replacement vessel used to track missile launches and tests around the world also comes from Raytheon.

Phased array radars for wide-area air and ballistic missile defense are another strong point. Raytheon builds the AN/TPY-2 X-band radar used by the land-based THAAD missile system, the 280 foot high X-band array on the floating SBX missile defense radar, and the large land-based ballistic missile Upgraded Early Warning Systems like the AN/FPS-108 Cobra Dane and AN/FPS-115 PAVE PAWS. On the S-band side, the firm builds the S-band transmitters for Lockheed’s SPY-1 radar on board existing American destroyers and cruisers. Unsurprisingly, Raytheon personnel who talked to us said that:

“…leveraging concepts, hardware, algorithms and software from our family of radars provides a level of effectiveness, reliability and affordability to our proposed AMDR solution… The challenge for all the competitors will be to deliver a modular design. The requirements demand that the design be scalable without significant redesign… A high power active radar system requires significant space not only for the arrays themselves but also for the power and cooling equipment needed to support its operation. Finding space for additional generators and HVAC plants can be quite challenging for a backfit application. That is why power efficiency is a premium for these systems.”

Lockheed Martin – lost

Lockheed’s AMDR-S
click for video

Lockheed Martin stepped into the competition with several strengths to draw on. Their AN/SPY-1 S-band radar is the main radar used by the US Navy’s current high-end ships: DDG-51 Arleigh Burke class destroyers, and CG-47 Ticonderoga class cruisers. Lockheed Martin also makes the AEGIS combat systems that equips these ships, and supplies the advanced VSR S-band radar used in the new Dual Band Radar installations on board Ford class carriers. This strong S-band experience, and status as the supplier of the combat system that any DDG-51 fitting would have to integrate with, gave them leverage at multiple points. Some observers publicly wondered if they had so much leverage that the competition would become a mirage, especially since the US Navy insisted on keeping AEGIS as the combat system.

Nor were they devoid of X-band or ballistic missile defense experience. Their L-Band AN/TPS-59 long range radar has been used in missile intercept tests, and is the only long range 3D Radar in the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. It’s related to the AN/TPS-117, which is in widespread service with over 16 countries. Then, too, the firm’s MEADS air defense technology demonstrator’s MFCR radar will integrate an active array dual-band set of X-band and UHF modules, via a common processor for data and signal processing.

It was a strong array of advantages. In the end, however, it wasn’t enough.

Northrop Grumman – lost

NGC on AMDR
click for video

Northrop Grumman was a less obvious contender, despite its leadership position in advanced AESA active array radars for use on aircraft of all types and sizes. They’ve also developed unique software-driven land-based systems like the US Marines’ new Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR), which is specifically architected to switch between a wide range of radar performance modes and requirements.

It’s important to note that Northrop Grumman has shipboard radar experience. They’re the prime contractor for the AN/SPQ-9B track-while-scan X-band radar that’s guaranteed to be part of the initial AMDR set, and SPQ-9A/B radars already equip America’s Ticonderoga Class cruisers, Nimitz Class aircraft carriers, America Class escort carriers, Wasp Class LHD amphibs, and San Antonio Class LPD amphibs. AN/SPQ-9Bs can also be found on Australia’s Hobart Class Aegis air warfare destroyers.

On a less visible note, the firm has been working under several CRAD research programs from 2005 to the present, targeted at technology demonstrations, system risk reduction, and new integration techniques for advanced S-band shipboard radars. Finally, the firm has a partnership with Australia’s CEA Technologies, which is developing an advanced AESA X-band (CEAMOUNT) and S-band (CEAFAR) radar set that equips Australia’s upgraded ANZAC class frigates.

What did this team see as important? Beyond an open architecture approach, it was all about the SWaP:

“The ability to scale up to a potential future cruiser or down to a DDG-51 variant is fundamental to the Northrop Grumman radar architecture. Size, weight and power (SWaP) of the radar system are the key drivers… Minimizing the radar impact is key to an affordable surface combatant solution. We are focused on not just the radar technology, but to minimize the ship impact while allowing for scalable growth in the future. We are working closely with various elements in the Navy to address the ship impact of large AESA radars on the entire ship.”

AMDR: Contracts and Key Events FY 2018

Raytheon wins EMD phase; DRS will produce power conversion module; CRS and GAO reports point out issues.

AMDR engagement
click for video

December 21/18: Integration & Production Raytheon is being contracted to support the US Navy with Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) integration and production efforts. Priced at $114 million, the contract provides for continued combat system integration and test services including engineering and training; software and depot maintenance, as well as field engineering services and procurement of spare parts. The AMDR, designated AN/SPY-6(V), will fulfill integrated Air and Missile Defense requirements for multiple ship classes. The AN/SPY-6 is 30 times more sensitive than its predecessor, its additional sensitivity supercharges the vessel’s capabilities in anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defense. Work will be performed at multiple locations throughout the US. They include Marlborough, Massachusetts; Kauai, Hawaii; Portsmouth, Rhode Island; San Diego, California; Fair Lakes, Virginia and Moorestown, New Jersey. The contract includes options which could bring the total value of the order to $357 million and is expected to be completed by December 2019.

December 11/18: Power Units DRS Power & Control Technologies is receiving additional funding to exercise an option to support the Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The contract modification is priced at $13.4 million and provides for the delivery of power conversion modules (PCM) for Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) production ship sets. Efforts covered under this contract include non-recurring engineering work, procurement of long-lead-time materials and of low-rate initial production units for testing. Up to 12 ship sets for the guided missile destroyers can be procured. PCMs support Raytheon’s AN/SPY-6 air and missile defense radar with the right power output. This contract supports DDG-51 Flight III ships. Work will be performed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is expected to be complete by April 2022.

October 3/18: LRIP continues The US Navy is ordering more production services for its Air and Missile Defense Radar from Raytheon. The awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee modification covers a number of engineering services and associated costs needed to support the low-rate initial production of the AN/SPY-6 at cost of $22.7 million. The new AMDR is being developed to fulfill integrated Air and Missile Defense requirements for multiple ship classes. The AMDR-S radar will provide wide-area volume search, tracking, Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) discrimination, and missile communications; while the AMDR-X will provide horizon search, precision tracing, missile communications, and final illumination guidance to targets. It will equip various types of vessels such as DDG-51s in Flight III configuration and Gerald F. Ford-class aircraft carriers. Work will be performed at Raytheon’s Marlborough facility and is expected to be completed by November 2018.

May 15/18: Navy gets an extra punch Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls recently announced that the first steps towards constructing the first Flight III Destroyer have been taken. The destroyer ‘Jack Lucas’ will join the Navy’s fleet in 2024. The vessel is modelled after the 73 Arleigh-Burke class destroyers already in service, but it will be a very different, more capable killer than its predecessors. ‘Jack Lucas’ gets its extra punch by adding Raytheon’s newly developed AN/SPY-6 air and missile defense radar. The Flight III is a major overhaul of the guided-missile destroyer. It required a 45 percent redesign of the hull, most of which was done to accommodate the AN/SPY-6 and its formidable power needs. The Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) has been procured through a competition between Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. The AMDR-S provides wide-area volume search, tracking, Ballistic Missile Defense discrimination, missile communications and defense against very low observable and very low flyer threats in heavy land, sea, and rain clutter. In addition, the AMDR-X provides horizon search, precision tracing, missile communications, and final illumination guidance to targets. The AN/SPY-6 is 30 times more sensitive than its predecessor, its additional sensitivity supercharges the vessel’s capabilities in anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defense.

FY 2014

Sept 11/14: Sub-contractors. DRS Power & Control Technologies, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is being awarded a base $15.7 million firm-fixed-price, time-and-materials contract for DDG 51 Class Power Conversion Modules (PCM) to support AMDR with the right kind of power input. This contract provides for AMDR PCM non-recurring engineering, long-lead-time material buys, low rate initial production units for testing, associated engineering services and support, and up to 12 production ship sets for DDG 51 Flight III Class ships. Just $2.4 million in FY 2014 US Navy RDT&E funding is committed immediately, but options could bring the cumulative value of this contract to $88.9 million.

Work will be performed in Milwaukee, WI, and is expected to be complete by April 2015. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competitive procedures, with proposals solicited via FBO.gov, and 4 offers were received by contract manager US Navy NAVSEA in Washington, DC (N00024-14-C-4200).

July 23/14: Testing. Raytheon announces that their AMDR radar has completed its hardware Preliminary Design Review and Integrated Baseline Review. They look at the capabilities of the system, removal of technology risks so far, and the inherent innovation and flexibility of the design.

Successful completion keeps the program on schedule so far, but remember that this schedule has changed due to challenge delays, and that ship integration issues will present their own hurdle. Sources: Raytheon, “Raytheon completes key Air & Missile Defense Radar reviews”.

April 17/14: SAR. The Pentagon releases its Dec 31/13 Selected Acquisitions Report. AMDR enters the SAR with a baseline total program cost estimate of $5.8327 billion, based on 22 radars.

SAR baseline

April 8/14: CRS Report. The latest iteration of “Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress” offers a greater focus on the DDG-51 Flight III destroyers, which includes AMDR. Note that CRS reports aren’t made public directly, so it took until May 2014 for public copies to appear.

One big issue for AMDR is capability. The 14′ design expected on Flight III destroyers meets the US Navy’s minimum expectations for missile and air defense roles, but there’s some question whether it will be enough. CRS’ report includes the concept of a dedicated radar ship to augment task groups in high-risk areas. The other option?

“Building the Flight III DDG-51 to a lengthened configuration could make room for additional power-generation and cooling equipment, additional vertical launch system (VLS) missile tubes, and larger growth margins. It might also permit a redesign of the deckhouse to support a larger and more capable version of the AMDR than the 14-foot diameter version currently planned for the Flight III DDG-51. Building the Flight III DDG-51 to a lengthened configuration would increase its development cost and its unit procurement cost.”

There’s also some concern about AMDR’s timeline, and whether the 1st AMDR-S can be fully ready in time to support a ship ordered in FY 2016. AMDR-S entered system development 6 months late due to protests, and software development to integrate both the new S-band radar and the X-band SPQ-9B+ remains a concern (q.v. March 28/13). Ship power generation and cooling could also be an issue, depending on the final design. The good news? Because the Flight III is structured as an optional ECP change within a multi-year contract, the Navy can choose to delay issuing the ECP, shifting the start of Flight III procurement and AMDR orders to FY 2017 or later.

March 31/14: GAO Report. The US GAO tables its “Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs“. Which is actually a review for 2013, plus time to compile and publish.

“AMDR entered system development in October of 2013 with all four of its critical technologies approaching full maturity. This was 6 months later than planned, leading to a delay in many of the program’s future events…. Additionally, the delays might also hinder timely delivery of necessary information related to AMDR’s parameters, such as power, cooling, and space requirements needed for ongoing and planned design studies related to [DDG-51 destroyer] Flight III development.”

Despite this, the program is still promising delivery in time for a 2019 fit onto DDG 123. GAO describes AMDR’s components as almost mature, including 2 key technologies. With that said, they’re unhappy that AMDR proceeded to EMD development without fully mature technologies demonstrated in an operational environment, so the program would have a better idea of the required form, fit, and changes to its host ship. AMDR also didn’t complete a Preliminary Design Review before EMD, either, though they did have the competition and evaluations:

“All four of the AMDR’s critical technologies are approaching full maturity and were demonstrated using a [small scale] 1000-element radar array…. two technologies previously identified as the most challenging — digital-beam-forming and transmit-receive modules, have been demonstrated in a relevant environment…. digital-beam-forming is necessary for AMDR’s simultaneous air and ballistic missile defense mission. The AMDR’s transmit-receive modules… use gallium nitride [GaN] technology instead of the legacy gallium arsenide technology for potential efficiency gains. The other two critical technologies are related to software and digital receivers and exciters. Officials stated that software development will require a significant effort. A series of software builds are expected to deliver approximately 1 million lines of code and are designed to apply open system approaches to commercial, off-the-shelf hardware. Integrating the X-band radar will require further software development.”

Feb 25/14: Sub-contractors. General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems announces an contract to continue their AMDR-related with Raytheon. The sub-contract could be worth up to $250.1 million over 10 years, and builds on previous GD-AIS efforts involving AMDR-S Digital Receivers/Exciter (DREX) and Digital Beam Forming (DBF) subsystems. Sources: GD, “General Dynamics Awarded $250 Million Contract to Support U.S. Navy’s Air and Missile Defense Radar Program”.

Jan 10/14: Protest dropped. Defense News:

“Lockheed Martin protested the Navy’s award of the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) contract because we believed the merits of our offering were not properly considered during the evaluation process,” spokesman Keith Little said Jan. 10. “While we believe that we put forward an industry-leading solution, after receiving additional information we have determined it’s in the best interest of the Navy and Lockheed Martin to withdraw our protest.”

The move still leaves Lockheed Martin in charge of the Aegis combat system. Raytheon, who had been responsible for delivering SPY-1 radar transmitters to Lockheed, is now responsible for the entire AMDR S-band radar and dual-band controller, while Northrop Grumman’s AN/SPQ-9B acts as the initial X-band radar. Sources: Defense News, “Lockheed Drops AMDR Protest”.

Oct 22/13: Protest. Lockheed Martin filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), arguing that they “submitted a technically compliant solution at a very affordable price. We do not believe the merits of our offering were properly considered during the evaluation process.” Lawmakers from New Jersey, where Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors is located, had sent a letter to the Navy Secretary a few days ago criticizing the award to Raytheon. The Navy subsequently issues a stop-work order, while the GAO has until the end of January 2014 to give its verdict.

Oct 10/13: EMD. Raytheon Company announces that they’ve won, receiving a $385.7 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the AMDR-S and Radar Suite Controller’s (RSC) Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase.

The base $157 million contract begins with design work leading to Preliminary Design Review, and will finish with system acceptance of the AMDR-S and RSC engineering development models at the end of testing. AMDR-S is the large S-band radar, while the RSC provides S- and X-band radar resource management, coordination, and an interface to Lockheed Martin’s Aegis combat system. The full contract would produce initial ship sets that will work with Northrop Grumman’s AN/SPQ-9B as their X-band counterpart.

This contract also includes options for low-rate initial production systems, which could bring the cumulative value to $1.6 billion. These options would be exercised after a successful Milestone C decision, which the Pentagon plans to make in FY 2017. Sources: Raytheon, Oct 10/13 release.

Raytheon wins EMD contract

Oct 18/13: CBO Report. The Congressional Budget Office publishes “An Analysis of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2014 Shipbuilding Plan“. With respect to AMDR:

“Adding the AMDR [to the DDG-51 design] so that it could operate effectively would require increasing the amount of electrical power and cooling available on a Flight III. With those changes and associated increases in the ship’s displacement, a DDG-51 Flight III destroyer would cost about $300 million, or about 20 percent, more than a new Flight IIA destroyer, CBO estimates. Thus, the average cost per ship [for Flight III DDG-51s] would be $1.9 billion…. Most of the decrease for the Flight III can be attributed to updated information on the cost of incorporating the AMDR into the Flight III configuration. The cost of the AMDR itself, according to the Navy, has declined steadily through the development program, and the Department of Defense’s Cost Analysis and Program Evaluation (CAPE) office concurs in the reduced estimate…. Considerable uncertainty remains in the DDG-51 Flight III program, however.”

FY 2013

Major program shifts.

LMCO’s AMDR concept
(click to view full)

June 3/13: NAVSEA Clarifications. NAVSEA replies to some of our program questions, and clarifies the program’s structure. They clarifiy the GAO’s wording concerning “AMDR initially using an upgraded SPQ-9B radar,” by saying that the initial SPQ-9Bs will be off-the-shelf models, acquired under a separate program. SPQ-9A/B radars already equip America’s Ticonderoga Class cruisers, Nimitz Class aircraft carriers, America Class escort carriers, Wasp Class LHD amphibs, and San Antonio Class LPD amphibs.

The SPQ-9B will still be integrated with AMDR-S, but there are some differences in implementation between it and AMDR-X, hence the additional software required. The result will effectively create DDG-51 FLight III and Flight IIIA ships, as the Navy has no plans to backfit AMDR-X to Flight III ships that get the SPQ-9B.

The remaining question is when a winner will be picked. The GAO said (q.v. March 28/13) that an EMD winner and development award was expected in March 2013, and we’re past that. All NAVSEA would say is that the AMDR program office is still conducting evaluations. They also said that AMDR-X’s acquisition strategy isn’t set yet, which leaves the door open to a divided radar contract.

May 8/13: The US Senate Armed Forces Seapower subcommittee hears testimony [PDF] regarding US Navy shipbuilding programs. An excerpt:

“The Navy is proceeding with the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) program to meet the growing ballistic missile threat by greatly improving radar sensitivity and longer range detection for engagement of increasingly complex threats. This scalable radar is on track for installation on DDG 51 Flight III ships to support joint battle space threat awareness and defense, including BMD, area air defense, and ship self defense. The AMDR radar suite will be capable of providing simultaneous surveillance and engagement support for long range BMD and area air defense. The Navy intends to introduce AMDR on DDG 51 Flight III in Fiscal Year 2016.”

GAO documents have referred to AMDR’s introduction in FY 2019, but procurement buys will begin in FY 2016.

April 26/13: Real Competition? Aviation Week reports on the AMDR program. Beyond the materials in the GAO’s report, discussions with the US Navy offer cause for concern. They quote AMDR program manager Capt. Doug Small as saying that AMDR will be just an evolution of Aegis, providing better performance for “only slight more” weight, power, and coolant demands, and “a fraction of the resources needed to run all of dual-band radar (DBR) or even existing Aegis SPY radars to conduct similar missions.”

The SPY-3/ SPY-4 DBR comparison seems like a pretty big stretch, given that they haven’t picked their AMDR radar yet, much less tested it. Article author Michael Fabey’s concerns, on the other hand, lie in another area:

“….the Navy will have to take great pains to ensure the competitiveness of the AMDR program. The service can ill afford to have this effort be seen as just an extension of the “Aegis Mafia,” often seen as… the automatic property of Lockheed, the combat system’s creator and prime contractor throughout the decades.”

It’s a real dilemma. Commonality with an existing combat system makes cross-fleet upgrades much easier, while lowering overall maintenance and upgrade costs. In Aegis’ case it also leverages work that has been and will be done on Ballistic Missile Defense modes. On the other hand, Aegis’ existing inter-dependencies with Lockheed’s own SPY-1 design are a stumbling block. Can the Navy really deliver AMDR on budget, while swapping in an S-band radar from another company? If they say yes and it’s not actually doable, AMDR will flounder and may fail. If the Navy decides that they can’t risk it, then the whole AMDR-S competition was a waste of time.

An AMDR-S award to Raytheon might still be thinkable if the Navy goes with the lesser standard of fleet combat system commonality, using the Raytheon combat system that drives the 3-ship DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class, and leveraging Raytheon’s combat system and controller work integrating the CVN-78 Ford Class carriers’ Dual-Band Radar.

April 10/13: FY 2014 Budget. The President releases a proposed budget at last, the latest in modern memory. The Senate and House were already working on budgets in his absence, but the Pentagon’s submission is actually important to proceedings going forward. See ongoing DID coverage.

“Missile integration with AMDR-S radar for DDG 51 Flight III ships will include requirements review/updates and analysis, verification; technical documentation, design review and working group SME support, missile/radar integration, missile test hardware procurement, risk assessment, safety, test and evaluation planning, analysis, data collection. Deliverables include interface specs and engineering documents to support AMDR PDRs HW&SW (FY13) and CDRs HW&SW (FY14); EDM testing (FY15), interface specs and engineering documents to support AMDR/ACBNext for DDG 51 Flight III E3 Testing, Analysis and Reports. Missile variants: ESSM Block I; SM-2 Blk IIIB MU2, SM-6 Block I (Current Aegis Configuration).”

Meanwhile, the Cooperative Engagement Capability program plans to spend 2013 working on interfaces that will let it work with AMDR. The Standard and ESSM programs will have related items on their plate, and Flight III destroyers will gain an interesting benefit from a discontinued carrier program. The AN/SPS-74(V) CVN Periscope Detection Radar program was canceled on Dec 17/12, with FY 2012 – 2013 funding directed to develop the algorithms and interface for the AN/SPQ-9B Radar instead.

March 28/13: GAO Report. The US GAO tables its “Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs“. Which is actually a review for 2012, plus time to compile and publish. Its AMDR section gives a program cost of $6.57 billion total to develop & buy 22 radars. As one might imagine when comparing to last year’s report (q.v. March 30/12), the program’s $9.24 billion cost drop heralds some major shifts in the program.

Instead of using AMDR-X radars, the first 12 AMDR systems will use Northrop Grumman’s existing SPQ-9B radar as their X-band component. According to the Navy, the SPQ-9B radar fits better within the Flight III DDG 51’s sea frame, and “expected power and cooling.” That’s no surprise, given that the “Spook-9” is already set to operate beside the S-band SPY-1D radar on Australia’s smaller Hobart Class destroyers. The bad news is that additional software work will be required to integrate a 2nd radar (SPQ-9B) with the new active S-band radar. AMDR was already on the hook for about 1 million lines of developed code, and software development has bent quite a few DoD project schedules.

The Navy will also have to compromise on radar performance in several areas. The Navy has now settled on a forced scale-down from the 20-foot aperture needed to meet their AMDR specifications, to a 14-foot aperture that’s the largest they can safely fit in the DDG-51 design. On the X-band front, SPQ-9B will eventually be replaced by a new X-band design for the last 10 units (13 – 22), but until AMDR-X arrives, the system won’t perform as well in X-band against the most advanced threats.

Major program shifts

Nov 26/12: NGC. Northrop Grumman announces that their AMDR technology demonstration contract is done. The firm says that they achieved both contract objectives: demonstrating that the critical technology is mature, and advancing the design of the tactical system. Northrop Grumman also successfully completed far field range testing of the AMDR-TD prototype, which reportedly met performance goals and radiated at top power for all waveforms.

FY 2011 – 2012

Functional reviews from contenders. RFP proposals in.

NGC’s AMDR-TD
(click to view full)

Sept 10/12: NGC. Northrop Grumman announces that its AMDR prototype has successfully completed initial range testing. Near Field Range testing validated the AMDR’s digital beam forming performance, tuning techniques, and reliability. Subsequent Far Field Range testing at Northrop Grumman’s radar test site in Baltimore, MD included successful full-power operational demonstrations.

July 31/12: RFP Proposals in. Lockheed Martin announces that it has submitted its “AMDR-S” proposal. Northrop Grumman and Raytheon both confirmed to DID that they also submitted proposals. Lockheed Martin.

April 2/12: NGC. Northrop Grumman announces that they’ve successfully finished AMDR’s System Functional Review (SFR) in late December 2011, and Test Readiness Review (TRR) “several weeks later”. SFR is a multi-disciplined technical review conducted to ensure that the system under review is technically mature enough to proceed into preliminary design. TRR assesses the readiness of the system for testing configuration items.

During the SFR, Northrop Grumman demonstrated digital beamforming and advanced tactical software modes, using its pathfinder early testing radar with a prototype radar suite controller to successfully detect and track airborne targets.

March 30/12: GAO Report. The US GAO tables its “Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs” for 2011. AMDR is scheduled to enter system development in October 2012, and the current program envisions $15.837 billion to develop and field 24 radar sets on DDG-51 Flight III destroyers.

Program officials believe that digital beamforming in a radar of AMDR’s size will be the most significant technical challenge, and will likely take the longest time to mature. Unfortunately, that technology is necessary for AMDR’s simultaneous air and ballistic missile defense mission. Meanwhile, a 14-foot version of AMDR-S is the largest radar they can safely fit within the DDG-51 destroyer’s deckhouse, even though it would take a 20-foot diameter aperture to fully meet all of the Navy’s specifications. The Navy is still discussing the precise size for AMDR-S in Flight III ships, and the design is supposed to be scalable up or down in size to fit on smaller or larger ships.

Nov 16/11: Power problem. Jane’s Navy International is reporting that DDG-51 flight III destroyers with the new AMDR radar and hybrid propulsion drives could cost $3-4 billion each.

If that is true, it’s about the same cost as a DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class ship, in return for less performance, more vulnerability, and less future upgrade space. AMDR isn’t a final design yet, so it’s still worthwhile to ask what it could cost to give the Flight IIIs’ radar and combat systems ballistic missile defense capabilities – R&D for the function doesn’t go away when it’s rolled into a separate program. Indeed, if the Flight III cost estimate is true, it raises the question of why that would be a worthwhile use of funds, and re-opens the issue of whether continuing DDG-1000 production and upgrades might make more sense. DoD Buzz.

Sept 19/11: Raytheon. Raytheon touts the performance of its Gallium Nitride AMDR T/R modules, which demonstrated no degradation after more than 1,000 hours of testing. Raytheon is developing a technology demonstrator for the system’s S-band radar and radar suite controller, and says that their testing figures exceed Navy requirements.

June 12/11: Growth problems? Aviation Week reports that AMDR’s key platform may be hitting growth problems. Power, cooling, and weight distribution have always been seen as the most likely stumbling blocks to fitting AMDR on the DDG-51 hull, and:

“As the possible requirements and expectations continue to grow for the proposed DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers, so is the concern among defense analysts and contractors that the U.S. Navy may once again be trying to pack too much into one ship… And yet it is the need to field [AMDR] that is driving some of the additional requirements for the Flight IIIs… “Sometimes we get caught up in the glamour of the high technology,” Huntington Ingalls Industries CEO Mike Petters says. “The radars get bounced around. They get changed. Their missions get changed. The technology changes. The challenge is if you let the radars drive the ships, you might not get any ships built.”

June 7/11: Raytheon. Raytheon announces that it has conducted a system requirements review (SRR) for AMDR Phase II beginning May 17/11. Their release does not describe it as successful, offering only the less categorical claim that the “Navy’s feedback throughout the review was favorable,” and pointing out that the firm “matured its design ahead of schedule, surpassing customer expectations.” DID asked Raytheon about this. They said the review was successful, but they wanted to different phrasing for a change.

Raytheon is currently developing a technology demonstrator for AMDR’s S-band radar and radar suite controller, and the firm demonstrated hardware from that pilot array during the review. The SRR also included Raytheon’s understanding of AMDR’s requirements, how its design and architecture meets those requirements, and Raytheon’s its analysis of those requirements, including cost and performance trade studies. A System Functional Review will be held later in 2011.

June 1/11: AMDR Issues. An Aviation Week article looks at AMDR, and adds some cost estimates and perspective on the program.

“AMDR is the brass ring for Navy radar programs… Capt. Doug Small, program officer for Naval Sea Systems Command (Navsea), [says that] “We’re working hard to balance a tough set of requirements for this radar with its costs… BMD (Ballistic Missile Defense) targets drive radar sensitivity. There’s no substitute for having detect-and-track [capability] at a long distance… [But] To do simultaneous air defense [and BMD], you have to spend less time doing air defense. It’s a radar resource issue… [Fortunately,] The ability to create multiple beams digitally [digital beamforming] means you spend less time doing certain other functions.” “

The article adds that Lockheed Martin demonstrated S-band digital phased-array antenna beam forming during recent NAVSEA tests of the Advanced Radar Technology Integrated System Test-bed, which combines multifunction S-band active phased-array radars. It’s a joint U.S.-U.K. radar effort spearheaded by Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems, and Lockheed Martin’s VP naval radar programs, Brad Hicks, says the technology is now ready to enter full engineering development.

May 19/11: Raytheon. Raytheon announces that it has produced the first group of S-band transmit/receive (T/R) modules for the U.S. Navy’s AMDR program.

FY 2009 – 2010

Initial studies, tech development contracts.

CG-49: USS Vincennes
(click to view full)

Sept 30/10: US Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington Navy Yard, DC solicits bids via the Federal Business Opportunities website, receives 3 offers, and issues 3 technology development contracts for the AMDR S-band radar and its radar suite controller (RSC). AMDR-S will provide volume search, tracking, ballistic missile defense discrimination and missile communications. The RSC will perform all coordination actions to ensure that both radars work together. This approach dovetails with the Pentagon’s focus on competitive prototypes, as a way of reducing long-term risks of failed development and cost overruns.

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems in Sudbury, MA received a $112.3 million fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract. Work will be performed in Sudbury, MA (81%), Fairfax, VA (18.3%), and New York, NY (0.7%), and is expected to be complete by September 2012 (N00024-10-C-5340). See also Raytheon.

Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors in Moorestown, NJ receives a $119.2 million fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract. Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ (86.2%); Clearwater, FL (5.5%); Fairfax, VA (3.5%); New Brighton, MN (2.5%); Clearfield, UT (1.3%); and Huntsville, AL (1%), and is expected to be complete by September 2012 (N00024-10-C-5358). See also Lockheed Martin.

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems in Linthicum Heights, MD receives a $120 million fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract. This contract is incrementally funded, with $38.4 million placed on the contract at the time of award. Work will be performed in Linthicum Heights, MD (99.4%), and Arvonia, VA (0.6%), and is expected to be complete by September 2012 (N00024-10-C-5359). See also Northrop Grumman.

Tech development contracts

Aug 10/10: An opinion from the Information Dissemination article Happy Thoughts and DDG-1000:

“I love Chris, and I don’t think anyone in the Navy deserved their star more than Jim Syring… but this Navy Times article is just a bit too much happy half-the-story for me. Here is how half the story gets told… The real reason the Navy is dropping the VSR on DDG-1000 is because the Navy intends to put… AMDR on the DDG-1000… because the timeline works out. The thing is the Navy can’t actually say this because there is no official AMDR program yet and the DDG-1000 isn’t supposed to be a ballistic missile defense ship – remember? This story in Navy Times is what it is because when it comes to US Navy shipbuilding, the Navy under CNO Roughead is never completely honest with the American people about what the Navy is doing. Sorry if the truth hurts.”

June 2/10: DDG 1000 loses DBR. As expected, the Pentagon this week certifies that the DDG-1000 destroyer program is vital to national security, and must not be terminated, despite R&D loaded per-ship cost increases that put it over Nunn-McCurdy’s legislated limit. There will be at least one important change, however: the S-band SPY-4 Volume Search Radar will be deleted from the DDG-1000’s DBR.

Performance has met expectations, but cost increases reportedly forced the Navy into a cost/benefit decision. The Navy would not release numbers, but reports indicate possible savings of $100-200 million for each of the planned 3 ships. The X-band SPY-3 has reportedly exceeded technical expectations, and will receive upgrades to give it better volume search capability. The move will save weight and space by removing SPY-4 aperture, power, and cooling systems, and may create an opportunity for Raytheon’s SPY-3 to be upgraded for ballistic missile defense – or replaced by the winner of the BMD-capable AMDR dual-band radar competition.

The full DBR will be retained on the USS Gerald R. Ford [CVN 78] aircraft carrier, as the SPY-4 replaces 2 air search radars and will be the primary air traffic control radar. No decision has been made for CVN 79 onward, however, and AMDR’s potential scalability may make it attractive there as well. Gannett’s Navy Times | US DoD.

No DBR on DDG-1000

Feb 26/10: CRS Report. The US Congressional Research Service lays out what remains of AMDR’s opportunity, in an updated report. From “Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress” :

“The Navy’s FY2011 budget submission calls for procuring two DDG-51s in FY2011 and six more in FY2012-FY2015. The two DDG-51s that the Navy wants to procure in FY2011 received $577.2 million in FY2010 advance procurement funding. The Navy’s proposed FY2011 budget requests another $2,922.2 million in procurement funding for the two ships, so as to complete their estimated combined procurement cost of $3,499.2 million. The Navy’s proposed FY2011 budget also requests $48.0 million in advance procurement funding for the one DDG-51 that the Navy wants to procure in FY2012, and $186.3 million in procurement funding for DDG-1000 program-completion costs. The Navy’s FY2011 budget also proposes terminating the Navy’s planned CG (X) cruiser program as unaffordable. Rather than starting to procure CG (X)s around FY2017, as the Navy had previously envisaged, the Navy is proposing to build an improved version of the DDG-51, called the Flight III version, starting in FY2016. Navy plans thus call for procuring the current version of the DDG-51, called the Flight IIA version, in FY2010-FY2015, followed by procurement of Flight III DDG-51s starting in FY2016. Navy plans appear to call for procuring Flight III DDG- 51s through at least FY2022, and perhaps until FY2031. Flight III DDG-51s are to carry a smaller version of the new Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) that was to be carried by the CG (X). The Navy’s proposed FY2011 budget requests $228.4 million in research and development funding for the AMDR. Detailed design work on the Flight III DDG-51 reportedly is to begin in FY2012 or FY2013.”

June 26/09: The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC issues 3 firm fixed-price contracts, covering initial concept studies for the (AMDR) S-band and Radar Suite Controller (RSC) only. Deliverables will include the S-band and radar suite controller conceptual design, systems engineering studies and analyses, and a technology development plan. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities and Navy Electronic Commerce Online websites, with 3 offers received.

Northrop Grumman receives a $10 million contract. Work will be performed in Linthicum Heights, MD, and is expected to be complete by December 2009 (N00024-09-C-5398). See also NGC’s July 28/09 release.

Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors in Moorestown, NJ, receives a $10 million contract. Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ, and is expected to be complete by December 2009 (N00024-09-C-5312). See also Lockheed Martin’s July 14/09 release.

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems in Sudbury, MA receives a $9.9 million contract. Work will be performed in Sudbury, MA (94%); Fairfax, VA (4%); Bath, ME (3%); Andover, MA (3%); Tewksbury, MA (3%); and East Syracuse, NY (2%), and is expected to be complete by December 2009 (N00024-09-C-5313). See also Raytheon’s Aug 3/09 release.

Initial studies contracts

Additional Readings Background: AMDR

• FBO.gov (# N0002412R5315) – 58 – Synopsis for the AMDR-S/RSC Engineering and Manufacturing Development Contract with LRIP Options. Issued April 16/12, last modification May 14/13.

• USN Electronic Commerce Online – N00024-12-R-5315 AMDR EMD Solicitation.

• GlobalSecurity.org – Solid State SPY Radar/ Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR)/ Air & Missile Defense Radar (A&MD Radar)/ Next-Generation Maritime Air & Missile Defense/ Multi-Function Advanced Active Phased-Array Radar.

• Raytheon – Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR). Winner.

• Lockheed Martin feature, via WayBack – Lockheed Martin selected to demonstrate designs for next phase of Navy’s Air and Missile Defense Radar program.

• Northrop Grumman, via WayBack – Northrop Grumman Air & Missile Defense Radar (AMDR).

Background: Related Systems

• US Navy – AN/SPQ-9B Radar Set. AMDR’s initial X-band counterpart.

• DID – BMD in Bunches: The USN’s Multi-Year Destroyer Contract, FY 2013 – 2017. The contract includes options for AMDR-equipped destroyers in FY 2016 and FY 2017.

• DID – US Destroyers Get a HED: More Power to Them! Hybrid-Electric drive modifications might be needed, in order to solve the class’ power problems.

Official Reports

• US Congressional Research Services – Navy DDG-1000 and DDG-51 Destroyer Programs: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress. April 8/14 update.

• US Congressional Budget Office (Oct 18/13) – An Analysis of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2014 Shipbuilding Plan.

News & Views

• Aviation Week (June 12/11) – Potential DDG-51 Flight III Growth Alarms. Could have strong implications for AMDR.

• Aviation Week (June 1/11) – AMDR program sets big goals.

• Military & Aerospace Electronics (June 29/09) – Next-generation missile defense radar systems for Navy warships is goal of new study contracts

• Defense News (Feb 2/09) – New Destroyer Emerges in U.S. Plans: Options Mulled As DDG 1000 Hits $6 Billion [dead link]. Includes AMDR coverage.

• DID Spotlight – The US Navy’s Dual Band Radars. Covers the SPY-3/VSR combination aboard the new DDG-1000 Zumwalt class destroyers and CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carriers.